


Cabin Fever

by somebodywakeuphicks



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 20 year age difference, A sappier version of Hopper, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Smut, If you enjoy it too then awesome, Just pure guilty pleasure for me, Not too realistic but fun, Slightly kinky in spots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-19 10:45:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 28,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13122123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: Hopper rescues Dawn from Hawkins Lab and keeps her hidden at his cabin in the woods. Something develops between them, but will Hopper want to risk taking their relationship past friendship?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I don’t have to do too much exposition in the story, this is an AU where, instead of rescuing El, Hopper rescues a 22-year-old named Dawn, or 002. He hides her in the same cabin, and she has a lot of similarities with El, just as a young woman instead of a kid. She’s been in the cabin for two months. It’s April 1984. 
> 
> Dawn lived at Hawkins National Laboratory since she was born, just like most of the other kids. She has El’s same powers of telepathy and telekinesis. Papa, and the people assigned to her, taught her some things but left large gaps, seeing her for only one purpose, as a weapon against the enemy. She has very good receptive language skills, although she struggles to understand many vocabulary words. Her expressive language skills are lacking, because she wasn’t encouraged to talk much. She can read at a fourth grade level and barely knows how to write.

Dawn whimpered, throwing a blanket over her head as the TV blared. She watched TV every day for the past two months. Mostly soaps, old shows, and new sitcoms. Always predictable. Always comforting. But this day ended up differently. Rain, she knew. But this rain came with flashes of light and loud sounds, as if something crashed down around the house. Then, the TV stopped working and all the lights went out. Dawn cried, gripping the blanket a little tighter. When would Hopper be home? 5-1-5, he said. She looked at her watch. 5-2-5. _Late_. What if whatever made that loud noise got him?

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a rain-drenched silhouette appeared in the doorway. Dawn jumped up and rushed to Hopper, throwing her arms around him, sobbing.

“Hey there, it’s okay,” he said, patting her back. “This is just a storm.”

“Storm?” she asked, her tear-streaked face gazing up at him.

“Yeah, it comes with rain sometimes, especially in the spring and summer. Usually, they’re not bad, just loud. And sometimes they can make the power go off.”

“TV?” she questioned.

“Yeah, the TV,” he chuckled. “Come on. Let’s light some candles and wait for it to come back on. I’ll grab some snacks we don’t have to heat up and read to you.”

She sat on the worn recliner across from Hopper on the couch as Hopper read aloud from _Animal Farm_. He had to stop every few sentences to explain a word to her. He read to her every night as well as having her practice reading and writing.

Dawn played with her long, brown, chest-length hair and yawned. Hopper stopped. “Tired?”

“Yes. And bored.”

Hopper laughed loudly. “Sorry to bore you!”

“No, not you. Not the book,” Dawn corrected. “Bored at home.”

“Ah, I see. We’ve talked about this before, Dawn. The Bad Men are after you. They’d like nothing more than to get you back. If that happened, I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. I’m sure they have other places to hide you. Places I don’t know about.”

“Papa,” Dawn said with distain. She’d had mixed feelings about the man, especially as a young child. But the older she got, the more she grew to hate him for everything he did to her.

“I just—” Dawn started. “I want to see outside. I never have. Not really.”

Hopper sighed. “I know, and I fucking hate that. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the same shit Brenner did.”

“You are _not_ Papa,” Dawn emphasized. “You are kind to me. But to feel sun on my face. You can go with. No one will see us.”

“I’ll think about it.”

That’s all Dawn needed. She jumped up and wrapped Hopper in a big hug.

“Uhh, yeah, okay. That’s enough,” he said as he patted her on the back and gently removed her. Dawn noticed that big difference between Papa and Hopper. Papa always welcomed physical touch, whereas Hopper seemed uncomfortable with it. She couldn’t understand why.

_________

Hopper felt bad that he pretty much pushed Dawn away. All the time. He knew she craved physical touch, just like any person. But he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea. That was the last thing he intended, and he had to be very careful. He was fully aware of what this would look like to an outsider. Sometimes, he wished he had never found her, or perhaps that someone else did. Someone female. Hopper sighed. He hoped to teach her enough skills so that, maybe in a couple years, she could move out on her own, far away from Hawkins, with the ability to get by normally, all while evading the Bad Men. When the hell had he become so soft? A couple years ago, he would have considered this Not His Problem.

He knew he couldn’t keep her locked up forever. Yeah, maybe he wasn’t using her as a weapon to fight the commies, but it still wasn’t fair to her. He knew he’d have to take her out eventually. He just had to figure out the right way to do that.

“How would you feel about getting a dog?” Hopper asked suddenly.

“A dog?” Dawn nodded hesitantly. She had seen them on TV. Never in real life, though.

“Yeah, I figure maybe it could help cure your boredom a little. Give you someone to practice talking to while I’m at work.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Good. I’ll look into it. Well, it’s past ten o’clock, so I’m gonna hit the sack. Goodnight, Dawn.”

“Goodnight, Hopper.”


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks passed, and Hopper made no more mention of getting a dog or taking Dawn outside. Her frustration grew until she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Hopper walked through the door one evening after work. “Hey, Dawn. How was your day?” he asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge and flopping onto the couch.

Dawn turned away from him, arms crossed over her chest.

“Oookay, what did I do?”

Dawn just huffed.

“Please tell me what I did. How can I fix it if I don’t know?” Hopper sighed.

“You lied.”

“Lied? What did I lie about?”

“You said we go out. You said dog.”

Hopper ran his hand down his face. “Yeah, you’re right. I did say those things. It’s only been, what? A week?”

“Fifteen days.”

“Oh, you’re keeping track?”

“Yes.”

Hopper had to laugh at her seriousness.

“Not funny.”

“No, it’s not funny. But I just…haven’t figured it out yet. I dropped the ball on the dog, I know. But the outside thing? I don’t know how to work it out.”

“Dropped the ball?”

“Yeah, it means I messed up.”

Dawn nodded firmly.

“Okay. Tomorrow. Tomorrow’s my day off. I have to stop by the trailer for a bit, but after that, we’ll go on a walk through the woods. How does that sound?”

Dawn grinned from ear to ear. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

She stood up and walked over to Hopper, sitting down next to him on the couch. “Not mad anymore.”

“That’s good,” he chuckled.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder. Hopper startled and scooted away from her. “Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?”

Dawn felt confused. “Give you hug?”

“Yeah, well…” Hopper scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out how to explain this. “I’m not sure that’s appropriate.”

“Appropriate?”

“Yeah, it means…right. I’m not sure that it’s right.”

“Why?”

“It’s just that…I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”

“But you are my friend?” Dawn asked.

“Yes, of course we’re friends. But sometimes people, especially men and women, start to have feelings for the other person and—”

“Feelings?”

“Yeah, like romantic feelings. Like wanting to go on dates and stuff. Wanting to kiss.”

Something warm stirred in Dawn’s belly. “You have…feelings?”

“ _No_!” Hopper yelled, a bit too exuberantly, making Dawn jump. “Sorry. Just, no. I don’t. I don’t want _you_ to think that I do.”

“Oh.”

“It’s not anything against you. This whole situation is weird, and you’re young. Like really young. And I’m an old, divorced cop. I’m just trying to keep you safe, that’s all. To teach you what you’ll need to get by on your own.” Hopper looked at Dawn’s big, brown eyes. “Aaand I’m making a way bigger deal out of this than I need to be.” He smirked. “Sorry. _Jesus_ , I can be awkward sometimes. I suppose I’ll go start dinner.”

Dawn just smiled and watched Hopper walk to the kitchen. A funny, fluttery feeling started up in her chest. The only other time she felt that was when she was alone with 003, a rare occurrence, and he kissed her. She wasn’t exactly sure what these feelings meant, but she intended to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn paced the cabin, eagerly awaiting Hopper’s return. He didn’t give a definite time, but said he’d be back sometime around lunch or thereafter. She looked at her watch. 12-1-8. She huffed and sat down to watch TV.

Finally, at 2-3-4, Hopper walked through the door. Dawn just glared at him.

“Sorry. I had to pay some bills at the trailer, and Powell stopped by, and I had to make it seem like I actually still _live_ there…” Hopper trailed off. “But I’m here now. Have you had lunch yet?”

Dawn nodded.

“Well I haven’t. I’m starving. I picked up some groceries, too.” He placed the bags on the counter. “After that, I’m all yours.”

Dawn’s lips quirked in a small smile.

As Hopper sat across from Dawn, eating his sandwich, he explained how the afternoon would go. “We need to be extremely careful. Yes, several acres are technically my land, but that doesn’t always stop people from trespassing.”

“Trespassing?”

“Going where they’re not supposed to. We do not, under any circumstances, want to be seen. So because of that,” he said, pulling something out of a bag, “you’re going to have to wear this.” He held out some funny looking clothing. “Fatigues,” he said. “I’ll wear ‘em, too. They’re to help us blend in.”

Dawn took the clothing and giggled a little at how goofy she’d probably look. Although she mostly wore sweatpants and plain t-shirts Hopper had gotten her from the second hand store, this seemed different, somehow. More like a gift.

Hopper continued. “Do not say anything. If I deem it safe, then we can whisper. We’ll be out for fifteen minutes, max. Maybe longer next time.”

Dawn smiled at _next time_ and nodded in agreement.

“And if we run into _anyone_ , we tell them you’re my visiting niece and that we’re hunting turkey. I’ll bring a shotgun just in case.”

Thirty minutes later, Dawn emerged from her bedroom donning baggy camouflage pants and a loose fitting camouflage shirt.

Hopper chuckled. “A little big on you, but they’ll do.” He was already wearing his. “Ready for this?”

“Yes.”

The pair stepped out the back door and onto the soft, leaf-littered forest floor. She gazed all around her, at the birds flying above the trees and the squirrels chattering in the branches. She admired the various types of leaves and a caterpillar climbing up the bark. She knelt down.

“Wait, don’t touch that,” Hopper whispered quickly. “That’s poison ivy.”

Dawn didn’t talk, as she was instructed, but looked at Hopper inquiringly.

“Poison ivy. If you touch it, it’ll give you a bad rash. Trust me. Leaves of three, let it be, as they say.”

Dawn nodded, taking it all in. She pointed to some leaves on a tree.

“No, that’s not poison ivy. That’s a maple tree. Those are maple leaves. And these,” he said, pointing, “are oak leaves.”

The fifteen minutes flew by all too quickly, and they hadn’t even left the backyard. Soon, they headed back inside the cabin.

Dawn turned to Hopper, grinning ear to ear. “Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem. That wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I actually kind of enjoyed myself. We can do it again tomorrow, if you want.”

Dawn grinned happily. “I love that idea.” She started to walk over to Hopper, arms outstretched, before hesitating, chewing her lip as she glanced off to the side.

Hopper noticed. “Hey, come here.” He gave her a quick hug. “I think we should incorporate this into our lessons. What do you think? There’s a lot of stuff for you to learn. And books are great, but hands-on is even better.”

“That sounds great,” Dawn answered.

That night, as she drifted off to sleep, Dawn thought about everything that had gone on that day. Hopper had spent the time after dinner excitedly going through books, teaching her about the various things she might encounter in the woods. She soaked it all in. She couldn’t remember a day this good in her life. Her mind drifted to Hopper as she considered his handsome features. She’d never touched his beard, but she imagined it might tickle. She already knew that he felt soft, but strong when she hugged him. And his striking blue eyes…Dawn felt that fluttering in her stomach again. _What is that?_ she wondered. And why could she only think about wanting to touch Hopper and to have him touch her? Or what it would be like to kiss him, like she’d kissed 003 several years before? She fell asleep, a longing deep in her belly, one she was determined to understand.


	4. Chapter 4

A month went by, and Hopper stuck to his word about the walks. They didn’t happen every day, but nearly, even if they had to happen at night, after Hopper got off a late shift, or early in the morning, before he left for work. He found that he really enjoyed teaching Dawn about nature, something he had been fond of as a boy. She soaked it up like a sponge, faster than he anticipated.

The pair had become a little lax about their rules. They still wore their fatigues, but instead of silence or simple whispers, they found themselves talking and, yes, even laughing. If Hopper had a fairly open day, they would spend hours out in the woods, exploring, picnicking, and talking.

Until one day, when it all went to shit.

It was one of those days Hopper had off. Dawn had packed lunch for the both of them, and they decided to hike to Fir Lake, two miles out. The land did not belong to Hopper, but they hadn’t had any issues in a month, and he wanted to surprise Dawn with a visit to the large lake, something she hadn’t seen before.

When they arrived, Dawn dropped her bag and gasped, running to the water’s edge. “It is so…” She struggled for words. “Pretty,” she finally said.

Hopper beamed. This was the exact reaction he hoped for. Dawn knelt down to touch the water, a mischievous gleam in her eye. She turned and splashed Hopper, who jumped back with a startled laugh. “ _Hey_! I don’t have extra clothes!”

“It is hot. They will dry,” Dawn responded, smiling. “Oh, can we swim?”

“You know how to swim?” Hopper asked skeptically.

“Yes. I learned in the tank.”

Hopper didn’t really know what that meant, but he figured he’d ask later. “We don’t have swimsuits.”

“Swimsuits?”

“Yeah, it’s what people swim in.”

“Can we just take off our clothes?”

Hopper coughed. “Uhhh, no. We’ve had this conversation before.” In fact, when he moved Dawn into the cabin, she had tried to undress in front of him, creating a very awkward situation. Hopper had to sit her down and explain why she couldn’t do that. _Fucking Brenner_ , he had thought, the first of many times.

Dawn sighed. “Okay, but if I leave underwear on…”

“Damn it, _no_!” Hopper said, immediately regretting his tone. It wasn’t her fault Brenner hadn’t taught her socially appropriate behavior. “Sorry. I mean, I’ll get you a bathing suit and we can come back sometime.”

Dawn considered this, then nodded, clearly a bit annoyed. She settled on taking her shoes off and rolling up her pants, wading around in the shallow part of the water. Hopper smoked a cigarette, watching her enjoy herself. Soon after, she waltzed back over, sitting down and retrieving their lunches from her bag.

Suddenly, Hopper felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn’t right. He looked around and spotted a man, woman, and toddler come from out of nowhere and head toward the lake. It didn’t make sense, a toddler at a somewhat secluded lake. “We’ve got to go,” he said to Dawn.

“Why?” she asked.

“Something’s wrong. I don’t know what, but I’ve been careless. Let’s go.”

The pair headed back in the direction they came before Hopper reconsidered. “If someone’s following us, the cabin is the last place we want to go.” He led Dawn in the opposite direction, no idea what they'd do. It wouldn’t get dark for another eight hours. If they walked enough, then found a spot to hide out, they could sneak back to the cabin after nightfall. But what if _they_ were already waiting at the cabin?

Dawn interrupted Hopper’s train of thought. “Tell me what is wrong.”

“I don’t want to—”

“Hopper. I am not stupid. Tell me.”

“Okay. That family we saw? I’m afraid they’re spies. That lake’s too secluded to bring a toddler. You’d have to hike a half mile from the closest place you could park.”

“Seems possible.”

“Yes, possible, but I’ve been stupid. Careless. I’m putting you in danger. I should never have taken you out.”

Dawn stopped in her tracks and turned to Hopper, mouth set in a straight line. “Do not say that.”

“It’s true, though.”

“ _No_. We can stay by the cabin.”

“I’m afraid that’s not such a good idea.”

Dawn looked at Hopper, hurt splayed across her face. She turned and stormed away.

“Wait! Dawn! Come back! You’re going to get us lost!”

But Dawn just ignored him and kept walking. Hopper tried to grab her arm, but she shoved it away. “I handle me! You handle you!” They came to an empty highway. _Shit_. Now they were out in the open.

Dawn seemed to realize this just as Hopper did, because her eyes grew wide and she turned around to go back into the woods. But before she could cross the threshold, a black van appeared from out of nowhere, screeching to a halt in front of them.

“ _Run_!” Hopper yelled, but it was too late. The men had their guns pointed and Hopper and Dawn had no choice but to stop, hands above their heads.

“Look at that. Chief Jim Hopper. So you were the one hiding her all this time,” one of the men said. “Looks like I’m gonna get myself a promotion.”

Hopper knew then that he had been right to suspect the family at the lake. Hawkins Lab had spies everywhere. He and Dawn couldn’t be seen together. Ever. By anyone.

“Now wait just a minute—” Hopper started, but before he could say anything else, Dawn flicked her head to the side, bringing the man down to the ground with a sickening crunch. She turned to the other two men, breaking both their necks, as well. A trickle of blood ran down her nose as Hopper stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Let’s _go_ ,” she said. “ _Now_.” Hopper didn’t argue, rushing back into the woods.

The pair walked until they came to a dry river bed, sunken beneath the forest floor. They climbed under a large, flat rock, jutting out from the earth and pulled some brush in to hide them. Soon enough, Hopper heard a helicopter overhead. He didn’t think the men had enough time to radio in, but he couldn’t be entirely sure. What if the family at the lake had recognized him? The man with the gun had seemed surprised to see him, though.

In the dim light, he saw Dawn’s eyes strained with worry. He put his hand over hers and squeezed tight. _It’ll be okay_ , he tried to convey.

Hopper and Dawn emerged to the setting sun, hungry and exhausted. They hadn’t heard the helicopter in over two hours. Hopper started in the direction of the cabin and pulled out his compass just to be sure. Dawn followed along without a word.

After an hour of walking, the pair made it back to the cabin. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. None of their trip wires had been disturbed. Hopper took a deep breath and headed up the steps, unlocking the door, and ushering Dawn inside, closing the door quietly behind him with a click.

Immediately, he got to work, creating booby traps for the windows and doors, pulling out binoculars and an old ham radio.

Dawn walked over and put her hand on his arm. “Stop.”

He looked at her, breath short and labored. “No, we almost got caught. For all I know, they’ve found this place and are planning their attack.”

“I think we are okay.”

“And what the hell happened back there?” Hopper threw his hands in the air before they came crashing down to his sides. “ _You can kill with your mind_?”

Dawn looked to the ground, tears forming. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Well, that fucking shit would’ve been nice to know!”

Dawn flinched at his words. “I did not know.”

“What do you mean you didn’t know?” Hopper said, exasperated.

“I—I thought—only Papa. I did not know I could. By myself. I was so scared. Scared the Bad Man would hurt you. It just happened.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not going out anymore. You’re going to stay in this house. It’s for your own good. I need to keep you safe, and I’ve been doing a pretty shitty job of that.”

“ _No_.” Dawn stopped his movement with her mind.

“What the fuck, Dawn?”

“No. You will _not_ be Papa. I saved _you_. I am not a child.”

Hopper had never seen Dawn this unwavering. Well, besides the time she killed three men with a flick of her head. “I am not trying to be Papa, and I’m not keeping you prisoner. Fuck, you can leave whenever the hell you want. I can’t stop you, and I won’t. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“I do not want to leave. I just want you to listen.”

Hopper sighed, sliding along the wall to sit on the ground. He placed his head in his hands. “This has all gotten out of hand. Why don’t we try to get some sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning, when we’re not both on edge?”

“Okay.” Dawn nodded.

Even though Dawn had stopped him in the living room, it didn’t stop Hopper from booby trapping his own window, and it definitely didn’t stop him from peering out every so often with binoculars, until he finally fell asleep several hours later.


	5. Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Dawn tentatively peered out from her doorway to see Hopper sitting at the kitchen table, coffee in hand. “Hey,” he said when he looked up. “Want some eggs and toast?”

“Sure.” Dawn poured herself a cup of coffee, added some cream and sugar, and sat down at the table.

“Look, I’m sorry about last night,” Hopper started. “I just—we’ve got to be more careful, is all. I don’t want to keep you locked up forever, but I think for right now, it’s what’s best. They know you’re around, and they’ll be scanning the area even more heavily than before.”

Dawn nodded. She didn’t like it, but she understood his point.

“And—you’re going to hate this part—I think I need to spend less time here.”

Dawn’s eyes grew wide as she shot her focus to Hopper. “Why?”

“If they know to look for me, or even if they just find me suspicious, I can’t lead them here. I need to stay at my trailer. Play everything cool. Talk on the phone there like nothing is out of the ordinary. Not for too long. Maybe a month.”

“A _month_?” Dawn cried.

“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I won’t ever come over. Just not every day, and I won’t sleep here.”

Dawn couldn’t help it. Tears began welling up until they spilled over.

“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. I’ve set up the ham radio. You can contact me any time you need me. I’ll stop by on the weekends. Bring groceries and new lessons to work on. You’ll be okay. Promise.”

Dawn wasn’t so sure. She hated being alone. And the thought of being separated from Hopper… “I can handle it,” she said. She didn’t feel it, but maybe if she said it, she’d start to believe it, even if a little.

“You sure?” Hopper asked.

“Yes. Only a month.”

Hopper smiled. “That’s my girl,” he said, squeezing her hand briefly.

The warmth lingered on Dawn’s hand as she ran over it with her thumb.

“I’m off to work. I’ll be back in five days. If you need _anything_ , talk to me on the radio and I’ll answer as soon as I can. Here, let me show you how it works,” he said, leading her into the other room.

That evening, Dawn fixed herself some dinner and plopped down in front of the TV. On a normal day, Hopper would’ve been home for an hour already, and the two would be getting ready to complete the evening’s lessons. She glanced over to the room with the ham radio. She only wanted to hear his voice. But it hadn’t even been a whole day yet. What would he think if she couldn’t even handle that?

__________

Hopper sat in his trailer, TV dinner in front of him, staring at the ham radio. _Should I talk to her? See how she’s doing?_ He didn’t want her to think that he thought she couldn’t handle herself. Of course, she could. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left her alone. But at the same time…what if something happened? No, he saw what she did to those men. She was perfectly capable of keeping herself safe for a night, and if something happened, he knew she’d call.

He leaned back and sighed. He’d forgotten how lonely he’d been. He used to medicate himself with booze and pills just to get through the feeling of being _less than_. The feeling of loneliness. He swallowed his pride and picked up the phone to dial Joyce’s number. No answer. He thought about calling Powell, or even Callahan…but no. He rarely did that, and he didn’t want to appear vulnerable. Especially not to them.

Back when he used to get like this, he would invite a woman over to spend the night. He mentally listed some of the women he could call. _Mary_. He hadn’t talked to her in awhile, and they had stayed on pretty good terms, unlike some of the others. He picked up the phone and began dialing, but changed his mind and hung up. He couldn’t get past the feeling that Dawn would be disappointed. _But why should she be?_ he thought. It’s not like anything was going on between the two of them…and still, he pictured telling her and watching her face crumple, watching tears stream from her big brown eyes. _Fuck_. The only reason he felt she’d react that way was because she didn’t understand the difference between types of relationships. She might see it as a betrayal. _Best to broach the subject with her first_ , he thought. Then he could make her understand that seeing women wouldn’t be a threat to their relationship.

Hopper flipped on the TV and let it drown out his thoughts until he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Hopper rapped a series of knocks on the cabin door, then waited. It was Saturday. _Finally Saturday_.

Dawn threw the door open. “Hopper!” She wrapped her arms tightly around him. He didn’t even care, just as happy to see her, as he pulled her in for a hug. The last five days had been some of the most miserable he’d had in awhile. And although he did drink quite a bit, that’s the only vice he’d revisited.

“Hey! How you been holding up?” Hopper asked.

“Okay. No Bad Men. Can you come home now?”

Hopper chuckled at her bluntness. “I might be able to shorten the duration, maybe stop by more often, but I think we should hold tight on my return for now.”

Dawn frowned at this. “I guess. How have you been?”

Hopper wanted to tell her that he’d been miserable. That he was tempted every night to just get in his blazer to see her and _fuck this whole safety nonsense_. But what good would that do? _He_ hadn’t even figured out why he reacted so viscerally to being away from her. Telling her these things would only confuse her.

“Oh, you know. Pretty boring without our nightly lessons, but other than that, okay, I suppose.” He looked at all the bags he had set down upon walking in. “I brought some things for you.” He pulled out some new books and paper. “I’ve had a lot of time to think, trying to come up with ways to get you outside without the risk, and I have an idea. Look out the window.”

Dawn did, and instead of Hopper’s blazer, a large truck sat in front of the house. Long pieces of wood filled the bed.

“I’m going to build a fence! You’ll have a backyard to explore whenever you feel like it. I couldn’t get the whole load of fencing here in one go, but I’ll go back for the rest. Sucks I’m going to have to do it by myself, but it’s worth it.”

Dawn grinned. “I can help.”

“I know you can, but we can’t be out together, remember? Not until the fence is completely up.”

“I can lift things. From the window.”

“Ah, right. Smart,” Hopper said. “I’m gonna unload the wood, go back for the rest, then return the truck. I’ll be yours all evening.”

Later that night, after the pair had eaten and done dishes, they sat on the couch pouring over a book on gardening in Indiana. They took turns reading from _Charlotte’s Web_ , then Dawn practiced writing a letter to a friend. She chose 003. They watched TV together until well past ten o’clock. Hopper didn’t intend to stay the night, but time got away from him, and soon he was asleep on the couch.

When he woke, his watch said three a.m. He groaned and tried to sit up, but realized he couldn’t move. Dawn had fallen asleep right next to him, curled up to his side. At first, he panicked, but relaxed when he realized she must’ve just fallen asleep, too. He carefully extracted himself and pulled an afghan over her, stepping outside for a cigarette. He wasn’t going to leave then, not when he hadn’t said goodbye to her. He stepped back inside, going back to his bedroom to lie down. It was just as he’d left it. The sheets hanging off the side of the bed, pillow on the floor. He smiled, knowing Dawn hadn’t gone in his room. One of the talks they’d had in the beginning was how the bedrooms were private spaces for both of them. He laid down to get some sleep.

__________

Dawn woke early that morning to banging sounds outside. She sat up, unsure of how she’d ended up sleeping on the couch. Then she remembered that Hopper had been there. She wondered if he’d gone home, then heard the loud noises again. She walked to the back window, wrapped in the afghan, and peered through the blinds. Hopper had some sort of swirly machine digging a hole in the ground. She watched as he worked, a smile forming on her lips. Suddenly, he pulled his t-shirt off and used it as a rag to wipe the sweat from his face, throwing it to the side. Dawn’s heart skipped a beat as she stepped backward, letting go of the blinds. Hadn’t Hopper told her that was private? But technically, he was outside, where anyone could see him. She caved at the urge to look again. It’s not like she hadn’t seen a person’s body before. She’d seen them at The Lab, and she’d seen plenty of shirtless men on TV. Not so much women. She wondered why that was.

Just as she reached her hand out to the blinds again, the door burst open, and Dawn jumped back.

“Oh, hey. You’re up,” Hopper said. “Came in for a glass of water. Been working on that fence of yours.”

Dawn just stared.

Hopper squinted at her in confusion, then looked down. “What, never seen a guy with his shirt off before? This one’s not very exciting, I know.”

“You said private,” Dawn squeaked.

“Oh, right. Well, I was just trying to explain it in a way that wouldn’t confuse you. It’s actually socially acceptable for men to go around shirtless. Not women. Although that would be…never mind.”

Dawn relaxed at his explanation, knowing then she wasn’t seeing something inappropriate. “Why do you say, ‘This one is not very exciting’?”

“I’m sure you’d rather see some buff twenty-something sweating it out in your backyard,” Hopper chuckled.

“What is buff?”

“Fit. Having muscles.”

“You have muscles.”

Hopper laughed. “Yeah, under all this fat.”

“I think you look…exciting,” Dawn said, trying to remember Hopper’s exact wordage. Hopper’s eyes grew wide for a second, and Dawn wondered if she’d said the wrong thing, yet again. “I just mean…you look nice.”

Hopper coughed. “Well, thanks. Good to know. Anyway, I’m gonna go back out and finish up the posts. Then maybe you can help me hold the slats, if you want.”

Dawn noticed he didn’t put his shirt back on.

As the day wore on, Dawn alternated between reading, making food for Hopper, helping with what she could from the window, and simply watching him work. She hoped he didn’t mind. It intrigued her that someone would do all this work for her enjoyment. She couldn’t remember anyone ever doing something like that.

Finally, once the sun started to set, Hopper finished, cleaning up his tools and heading inside the house where Dawn had dinner waiting.

“Thanks for your help. I couldn’t have finished it that quickly by myself. You mind if I go take a shower before I sit? I’m a dirty, smelly mess.”

“Wash your hands, then sit,” Dawn instructed. “The food will get cold.”

“Okay,” Hopper smirked. “I guess I better do what I’m told.”

“The fence looks nice.”

“It does, doesn’t it? I have some other surprises up my sleeve. Just you wait.”

“Stay the night?”

Hopper sighed. “I can’t. I mean, I shouldn’t. I already didn’t mean to last night. I’ve gotta go to work first thing tomorrow. I’ll be back in a few days, though. Promise. I won’t wait the whole five days this time.”

Dawn chewed her broccoli before grumbling. “Fine.”

The next three weeks went by slowly, even though Hopper kept his word and visited more often. After the fence was up, he didn’t worry as much about Dawn going outside. “Just listen for helicopters or anything out of the ordinary,” he instructed. “I built it so that no one can see inside the fence unless they are above it, which should give you plenty of time to get inside if need be.”

Dawn spent many of her days out back. She swam in the big, round pool Hopper put up. She planted vegetables and flowers he brought for her. She relaxed underneath her favorite maple tree, reading books and writing.

Finally, it was July 7. The day Dawn had circled on the calendar. The day Hopper said he’d be home.

Dawn sat at the kitchen table when she heard the series of knocks. She opened the door to find Hopper, hands struggling behind his back. “The last in my series of surprises,” he said, pulling a large, black puppy into view.

“Oh! It is perfect!” Dawn cried, scooping the bundle up as the puppy licked her face.

“Someone put a flier up at the station. Thinks the litter’s labrador and great dane mix. And I think she likes you. What are you going to call her?”

“Lucky. Because I feel so lucky right now.”

Hopper brought the rest of his and Lucky’s belongings in. Having raised dogs before, he went over the process with Dawn. They spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Lucky outside and talking. Hopper said he was fairly certain no one was following him. “Even so, we’ve got to be on our guard.” Dawn was just happy to have him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is where stuff starts to get good. Had to build up the relationship first to get to that point.


	7. Chapter 7

“Can you teach me that?”

Dawn and Hopper sat on the couch, sharing a bowl of popcorn, watching an old movie.

“Teach you what?” Hopper asked. “How to dance?” The couple on the screen swayed around the ballroom floor.

“To dance. Yes.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I haven’t done it in so long, but that kind of dancing’s not that hard. Right now?”

“No, later. I want a dress. Like that.”

“You want me to get you a dress? Okay. Getting tired of wearing sweats, eh?” Hopper chided.

“A little.”

A few days later, Hopper came home with a bag. “It’s a good thing no one saw me at the thrift shop,” he grumbled. “How would I explain buying a dress?”

Dawn waltzed over, snatched the bag from his hand, and closed the door to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Hopper was becoming impatient. “Come on, Dawn. How long does it take to put on a dress?”

The door cracked open, and Dawn timidly peered around the corner before stepping out. The knee-length, three-quarter sleeve blue dress fit perfectly, fitted at her small waist and patterned with delicate white flowers. Dawn stumbled in her black pumps, then smiled at Hopper sheepishly.

Hopper didn’t know what to say. “Wow, uh…you look…”

“Pretty?” Dawn asked.

“Yes. Pretty.”

Dawn beamed.

He shook himself out of his stupor. “And the dress fits nicely. I’m glad I didn’t fuck that part up.” Hopper walked over to the record player and put on I Got You Boy by Carla Thomas. “Ready?” He held out his hand, and Dawn took it. “Now put your hands on my shoulders, like this. Good. I’m going to put my hands on your waist. Then we move, like this.” Hopper began swaying to the music, leading Dawn with his movements.

She tripped over her shoes and kicked them off with a laugh as the song changed.

 _Baby, oh baby_  
_You look so good to me baby_  
_Baby, ooh baby_  
_You are so good to me baby_

 _Just one look in your eye_  
_And my temperature goes sky high_  
_I live for you and can't help it_  
_You know I really don't want to help it_

Dawn pressed her body in perhaps a little too closely for Hopper’s comfort, but he chose to ignore it. She studied Hopper’s eyes, and before he had time to react, she stood on her tip toes and placed a soft kiss on his mouth.

He jumped back and stared at her wide-eyed. “What the hell are you doing?”

Her timid smile turned to a frown as Hopper ran his hand down his face and flopped onto the couch. “Damn it, turn off the music!”

Dawn flinched, and Hopper sighed. _Fuck_. Why was he yelling at her? “Just lift the needle up. The long arm thing. Carefully.” She did, then stood there awkwardly, tears welling up.

“Shit, just come here,” Hopper said, patting the spot next to him on the couch. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I meant to talk to you about this before, but I guess we’re gonna have this talk now.” He turned his body toward her. “See, there are different kinds of relationships. I’m not gonna get into all of them, but some relationships are friendships. Like what we have. It means we like spending time together and having fun. And some are romantic relationships. Friendship, but with things like kissing, and touching, and going on dates, and—”

Dawn looked at him.

“Anyway, point is, we’ve gotten a lot closer over these past several months. I think you’ve gotten a little bit mixed up, maybe. Confusing what we have as friendship for something else.”

“I am not confused.” Dawn said it so quietly, that Hopper almost didn’t hear her.

“What?”

She turned to look at his eyes. “I do not understand some things. I know. I am not stupid. I want to kiss you. I want to touch you.” She turned away. “ _Damn it_.”

The curse took Hopper aback. He’d never heard Dawn swear before. “I don’t think you understand what you want. Shit, you’ve only known me and, what? Brenner and his stupid minions? 003? Some of the other kids at The Lab? I’m old. And fat. And divorced. And a fuck up. There is absolutely no reason for someone like you to be interested in someone like me.”

Dawn looked at him then with a hurt in her eyes that made Hopper wish he hadn’t said it. “That is not what I see. You do not see what I see.” She paused. “Maybe you are right. If that is how you think, then maybe I do not want to kiss you.” She turned to go to her room. “Do not follow me,” she said, shutting her door.

Hopper just sat there, dumbfounded. Did Dawn _really_ have feelings for him? What did she see in him that he couldn’t see in himself? He stood to knock on Dawn’s door. “Dawn? Can we just talk some more?”

“Go away, Hopper.”

He sighed. He wished he knew what to do to make this better, but he didn’t. He sat on the couch and flipped on the TV, hoping she’d come out eventually. But she didn’t, and Hopper fell asleep to the ABC Monday night movie.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Hopper woke on the couch, TV off. He sat up and noticed Dawn’s door cracked open. “Dawn?” he called, but she didn’t answer. He started to get a bit nervous. _She didn’t leave, did she? She wouldn’t just leave. Right?_ He looked around the house, but he saw no sign of her. Lucky was gone, too. _Shit_. Just as he was about to put his shoes on and jump in his truck, he heard a little _yip_ from the backyard. _Of course_.

He opened the back door and watched Dawn, sitting on her knees, as she threw a ball for Lucky and laughed. “Lucky, I am trying to garden, here.”

Hopper stifled a laugh, and Dawn turned toward him, suddenly aware of his presence.

“Good morning,” he said.

She just turned away, looking at the ground.

“You mind if I come join you?”

She shook her head slightly, and Hopper walked down the steps and sat down next to her. “Nice day.”

Dawn didn’t answer.

“Yeah, look, I’m sorry. I disregarded your feelings. Assumed you couldn’t actually be telling me the truth.”

“Disregarded? Assumed?”

“Heh, sorry. Disregarded, it means I didn’t take you seriously. Assumed means I thought I knew the answer without really listening to you.”

She nodded.

“Anyway, I was wrong.”

“Why do you not have…feelings?”

Hopper sighed. “See, the thing of it is…I do. Okay? There, I said it. You’re smart. Kind. Beautiful. You don’t put up with my shit. You could literally kill me, and there’s something…weirdly exciting about that.” He laughed hesitantly, scratching the back of his head. “I just don’t want to hurt you. I’m afraid of what others would think if they found out. Believe me, it wouldn’t look good. I’m afraid that it won’t work out, and it’ll be too awkward between us. I’m afraid of taking advantage of you.”

“Taking advantage?”

“Yeah, like, tricking you, or something. Being selfish.”

“I know you are not.”

“I have been in the past.”

“Not now.”

“Yeah, maybe not.” Hopper looked at his watch. “Shit. I’ve gotta get to work. I’ll see you when I get home. Movie night, yeah?”

“Yes.” Dawn smiled.

That evening, Hopper and Dawn sat on the couch, watching Dracula. Dawn scooted in toward Hopper, and he didn’t stop her. They hadn’t finished their conversation about what _this_ was, but sitting close together on the couch wouldn’t hurt anything, right? As the pair watched the movie, Hopper’s mind drifted, and he found himself thinking about Dawn’s kiss. It had been so innocent. So chaste. He thought about kissing her neck, running his hands up her shirt. What did her moans sound like? He shifted a little in his seat, and Dawn took that as an invitation to wrap her arm around his and place her head on his shoulder. _Shit_. He may just be a goner.

“Why does Dracula bite necks?” Dawn asked suddenly.

“Uh, because he’s the Undead and needs to drink human blood to live forever?”

“It seems kind of like kissing.”

“Heh, yeah, kind of...except not.”

Dawn stroked the back of her hand lightly across Hopper’s neck before leaning in and kissing it gently. Hopper wasn’t entirely sure whether she would just kiss him or try to bite him. After placing several small kisses on his neck, her lips lingered for several seconds before she pulled away.

“Is that okay?”

Hopper nodded wordlessly.

Dawn took that as an invitation to climb into his lap, pressing lots of little kisses to his mouth and beard. He decided to let her do what she felt comfortable doing, not wanting to push her into anything. He still felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole idea.

She began unbuttoning Hopper’s shirt, and his heart skipped a beat. When Dawn realized that he had a henley on under his button up, she frowned. “Off.”

Hopper did as he was told.

Dawn ran her hands up and down Hopper’s chest and belly, kissing and licking. When she ran her tongue over his nipple, he groaned, causing her to startle. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all. Something very right. But I don’t think—”

She pressed her lips to his once more. He’d held back as long as he could, bringing his hands up to her face and sucking on her lower lip before parting his lips and sliding his tongue into her mouth.

Dawn moaned. _There it is. Fuck_. He was a goner. He’d never be able to get that sound out of his brain. He wanted to hear it again. And again. And again.

She pulled away and smiled sweetly. “What is that?”

“What is what?”

“Your tongue. What you did.”

“That’s just another, nicer, way of kissing. Here, you try.”

Dawn flicked her tongue into Hopper’s mouth, and they continued going back and forth like this for quite some time. After awhile, Dawn got a pretty good handle on it, and soon, their kisses became sloppier, more frantic. Hopper moved down to kiss Dawn’s neck, eliciting yet another moan. _Yes_. His dick hardened until it hurt, straining against his jeans and _oh, shit_ , Dawn would probably notice. He wasn’t ready to take it there yet, as much as he desperately wanted to.

“Uh, I’ve gotta go to sleep. Work tomorrow, you know.”

“The movie is not over.”

“I know, but I just remembered Callahan’s taking the day off, and I have to go early to make sure everything’s squared away. See you tomorrow. Goodnight.” Hopper rushed off to his bedroom, leaving Dawn alone on the couch.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the next few days, Dawn didn’t see much of Hopper. He left early for work and came home late. She wasn’t sure what she had done wrong. Their movie night had been nice. And Hopper seemed to enjoy it as much as Dawn did. Hadn't he? Maybe she had misread something. It was definitely possible. _Why can’t I just be normal?_ she wondered.

Hopper would be home the next day. He usually didn’t work on Saturdays unless he was called in. She considered what she would say to him. What if he avoided her again? She didn’t think she could take another day of that, especially not on _their_ day.

That night, Dawn tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She turned on the light and sat up. A noise caught her attention. It sounded like yelling. She slowly edged out of bed and crept toward the door, hearing it again. Carefully opening the door, she peered around the dark cabin. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. She got ready to head back to bed when she heard a shout from Hopper’s room.

Immediately, she ran to his door, banging on it. “Hopper! Are you okay?” She knew she wasn’t supposed to go in, but she feared the Bad Men found their way in and hurt him.

She cracked the door open. Dawn’s eyes adjusted to the dark room, and she saw Hopper, asleep in his bed. He cried out again. _A bad dream_. She had those often, too.

“Hopper?” she called out. Then a little louder. He grunted, attempting to sit up, tangling himself in his sheets and falling to the floor with a thud.

Dawn ran to him before she remembered she wasn’t supposed to be in there and backed up out of the room.

“Dawn?” he asked groggily. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Bad dream,” she answered.

“You had a bad dream?”

“No. You. I heard you.”

“Oh.” Hopper rubbed his head. “I guess I did. Sorry about that.”

“Are you okay?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah. _Yeah_. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Want me to make coffee?”

“No, you don’t have to. Go back to sl—”

“Please, Hopper. I cannot sleep, too.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Okay.”

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table, mugs in hand.

“What did you dream?” Dawn broke the silence.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“I have bad dreams, too.”

“Oh, yeah? I imagine you probably do.”

“I dream about…it. About _them_.”

Hopper sat quietly.

“I pretend I sleep. I do not. Not a lot. Sometimes, I cry. Quiet so you do not hear me. I am okay with the light. But the dark makes me remember.”

“What does it make you remember?”

“Papa. He was kind. Like you. And bad. Very bad. Not like you. He…tricked me. What is that word? From outside?”

“Take advantage?”

“Yes. Advantage. He made me kill animals. Cats. I do not like to see cats. When I did not obey, he put me in the dark room. He did not hurt me, but the Bad Men did. Hit and kick and pull my hair. Hurt my friends. 003 and 011.”

“011?”

“Yes. She was little. And like me. I tried. I tried to keep her safe. I—” Tears streamed down Dawn’s cheeks.

“Hey, none of this is your fault, do you hear me? What they did to you is reprehensible. It’s evil. _You_ did nothing wrong.” Hopper stood up, crossing over to her side of the table and pulled her into a hug as she sobbed. He led her to the couch where he kept his arm around her, stroking her arm with his thumb.

After a few minutes, Dawn quieted and looked up at Hopper. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?” He paused. “I have nightmares. Nightmares about my daughter, Sara.”

“Daughter?”

“Yeah.” Hopper teared up. “She’s—she got sick. Really sick, and she’s not here, anymore. Then Diane—her mother—and I got divorced. We couldn’t work our way through it. _I_ couldn’t work my way through it. I took it out on myself. I drank too much. I numbed myself with pills. I took it out on other people. I was selfish, like I said. I didn’t know how to cope.”

Dawn put her hand in Hopper’s and squeezed it. “How old?”

“Five.”

Dawn frowned. “What was she like?”

Hopper startled at the question. “Sara? She was amazing. The most amazing little girl you could ever know. She loved drawing. And science. And reading. Really, she just soaked everything up like a sponge. We used to go to the museum together. She loved the planetarium the most. She could name many of the constellations. Not all, but more than I could.” He laughed, choking back tears.

“She sounds wonderful.”

“Thank you. You would’ve loved her, I think. She would’ve loved you. She had this knack for sensing the good in people.”

Dawn pressed in close to Hopper, burying her head into his chest. Hopper wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“And you know what?” he said. “If I ever see Brenner again, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch for everything he’s done to you. And the others.”

“Not if I do first.”

Hopper made a weak attempt at a smile. “So tell me again. That day, with those three men…You’d done that before, but not to people?”

“Yes. To cats. Papa said I could not do it. Only with him. I believed him.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I wish I was normal.”

“I get that. But listen, even though it totally makes sense, I want you to know that _I_ like you just the way you are. Quirks and all.”

“Quirks?”

“Yeah, the little funny things you do. The way you talk. I think it’s cute.”

Dawn smiled at that and relaxed in Hopper’s arms. “Why did I not see you for three days?”

“Yeah, that. I’m sorry. I got scared after that night we kissed and stuff.”

“Did you not like it?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I liked it. A lot. I just thought I wouldn’t be able to stop myself and I’d get carried away, and I didn’t want to do that. I panicked and ran away. Then I felt guilty. Then I avoided you. It was stupid.”

“Yes. Stupid.”

Hopper smiled against Dawn’s head, then looked at his watch. “Well, it’s almost one a.m., so we should probably head back to bed, yeah?”

“Hop?”

“Hm?”

“I cannot sleep by myself.”

“Yeah, me neither.” He smiled. “Lie down.” He turned out the table lamp and pulled the afghan over the both of them as he cradled Dawn in his arms. She scooted back against him as close as their bodies would allow and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long before they were both asleep.

A few hours later, Dawn woke with neck pain. She shifted, then remembered where she was. She flipped over to face Hopper.

“Hey,” he said groggily. “You’re awake.”

“Yes. Neck hurts.”

“Same.” He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers as they watched each other. “Mm, this is nice.”

“Yes.”

Hopper leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Dawn’s mouth. She smiled, kissing him back lazily, capturing his bottom lip with her teeth. He chuckled, planting kisses on her nose, forehead, cheeks, and ears. Dawn let out a small gasp when he sucked at her earlobe.

“Oh, you like that?” Hopper replied, smiling mischievously. He ran his teeth lightly over her earlobe once more, sliding his tongue down her neck where he kissed and nibbled her collarbone. Dawn moaned, arching her back. The warm feeling in her belly grew until it reached the spot between her legs, tightening into something quite pleasurable. She ran her hand along Hopper’s beard and kissed him, just the way he’d shown her.

Dawn explored every crevice of his mouth with her tongue and ran her hands up his shirt as the tightening between her legs became almost unbearable. She lifted her leg and rested it on Hopper’s, and without even realizing it, she began rotating her hips ever so slightly so that she pressed against him. He moaned, something she then knew to be a good noise, and pressed his hips back into hers.

“Come here,” Hopper said, voice thick with desire. He shifted onto his back and pulled Dawn on top of him, continuing to kiss her as he ran his hands through her hair, then down her back, resting on her hips. “I want you so bad.” He urged her to move against him, but there was something there. Something Dawn hadn’t noticed before.

She stopped grinding, sitting halfway up. “What’s that?”

“What?” Hopper breathed heavily.

“That?” Dawn pointed to the very obvious bulge in his pants.

“Uh, that’s my cock—er, penis.” Hopper paused. “Wait…”

“What is—”

“ _No_.” Hopper sat up quickly. “ _Shit_. Holy hell.”

“What is wrong?”

“How much do you know about sex?”

Dawn tried to read his expression. Something had made him unhappy again. “What is sex?”

“ _Oh my god_. I just almost—and you—”

“Hopper, stop. Please just tell me.”

“I knew you didn’t have any experience, but I assumed _someone_ over at The Lab had explained that. _Fuck_. I mean, you knew about your period…but of course, they didn’t. _Fucking Brenner_.” He rubbed his face with both hands, then ran them through his hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Know _what_?” Dawn was getting frustrated.

“I’m such an idiot.” Hopper got up from the couch.

“Do not run away again.”

He stopped, then exhaled. “You’re right. I won’t this time.”

She urged him to sit back down, which he did. “What is happening?”

“It’ll take too long to explain. Let’s just get some sleep, and we’ll talk about it later, okay?”

“Fine.”

They settled back down on the couch, Hopper behind Dawn. She snuggled in close to him just like she had before, and he wrapped his arm around her. They would talk in the morning. Dawn would make sure of it.


	10. Chapter 10

A poke to Hopper’s rib, then another to his face woke him. “Hey, what’re you doing?” he mumbled, squinting.

“It is morning,” Dawn said.

“So it is.”

“You said we talk in the morning.”

“I said we’d talk sometime. I didn’t say it would be in the morning.”

“I want to talk.”

“And I want to sleep.”

Dawn sulked, but relented.

“I’ve gotta go in to work,” Hopper said later that morning. “Flo radioed, asking me to come in.”

“What about—”

“We will. I have to pick something up, first.”

After Hopper left, Dawn stepped into the shower. As she let the water wash over her, she thought about the night before. That feeling between her legs. Even just thinking about it stirred it up again, and she reached her hand down to touch that spot. Intense pleasure overwhelmed her, the feeling of electricity, and she pulled her hand back, surprised. Inching it down again, she let her fingers explore and imagined rubbing herself against Hopper, against that bulge. “Hop,” her lips whispered with labored breath. After a few minutes, she pulled her hand away. That felt good. _Really good_. She got out of the shower, deciding that she would wear her blue dress, anxiously awaiting Hopper’s return.

Hopper did return, but not until four-thirty p.m. He knocked their special code, then mumbled a greeting in passing as he grabbed a beer, cracking it open and slumping onto the couch.

“Everything okay?” Dawn asked.

Hopper let out a long breath. “Just a long day. Stupid, annoying things. Nothing you’d want to hear about, I’m sure.”

“I would.”

“Just some crazy lady wouldn’t leave me alone. Couldn’t talk to Callahan, _nooo_. Had to talk to the _Chief_. Her son’s getting picked on at school and she wanted me to go talk to the other boy’s mom. Didn’t like Callahan’s answer. Thought she would like my answer better. _Nope_. Told her it was a school issue, not a police issue. Got screamed at.” Hopper looked up for the first time since he came in. “Hey, what’re you all dressed up for?”

“For you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I mean I said I liked the dress before…”

Dawn frowned.

“What?”

“I want you to say I am pretty. Do this.” She walked over to him, bent down, and kissed him.

“Dawn, I don’t want to do anything else until we have our talk.”

“Talk then!” She balled up her fists and stormed off to the kitchen, pulling the lasagna she made from the oven and letting it slam on the stovetop. She sat at the table in a huff.

“Uh, dinner smells good…”

Dawn began crying.

“Was I not supposed to say that?”

“I wait all day to see you. I get so lonely here. You do not want to talk. I know you had a bad day. I am here by myself almost every day. You say no kisses. No hugs until we talk. Then we do not talk. I need to know. If you are too tired today, that is fine. Tell me when. Do not keep saying sometime.”

Hopper groaned. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I keep flip flopping on you, and it’s not fair. Just give me some time to decompress—er, relax, and we’ll talk after dinner.”

“Okay.” She dished him up some lasagna and left him alone for a bit, taking her dinner out to the backyard with Lucky.

___________

“Hey, I’m good now,” Hopper said, popping his head outside. “You wanna come in and have that little talk? Big talk, I guess.” He wasn’t sure how this would go. He’d picked up a book from the library, one with pictures of human anatomy. He’d never had to go through the whole rigmarole before, and he hoped he’d do an okay job, especially with all the awkward technical terms.

They sat on the couch, Hopper with the book in hand. He took a deep breath. “Okay, so here goes. Last night, you wanted to know about, uh, what happened with my pants, yes?”

“Yes. And also what is sex.”

“I’ll get there. So stop me if you know any of this. The biggest difference between men and women is that men have penises and women have vaginas, and also that women can have babies.”

“I know babies,” Dawn said.

“Good.” He opened up the book to show her the diagrams, pointing out all the different parts and explaining their functions. “So normally, penises are soft.”

“But yours was hard. Why?”

“Well, that happens when something feels good. Like kissing or rubbing, for example. What we were doing.”

“It felt good last night?” Dawn asked.

Hopper chuckled. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“I felt good, too.”

Hopper figured that was probably the case, but he couldn’t help the cheesy grin that appeared on his face. “It gets hard so that—uh, so that a man can put his penis inside a woman’s vagina.”

Dawn crinkled her eyebrows.

“Yeah, I know it sounds weird. But that’s sex. Well, technically speaking. Basically, you do that, move around a lot, the man ejaculates, where this, uh, liquid comes out, and that is how a baby can be made.”

“Sex is for having a baby?”

“Well, yes, but people also do it for fun. Because it feels good. And there are ways to, uh, keep a baby from happening if you don’t want that.”

Hopper spent the next hour expanding on pregnancy, explaining contraception, some aspects of foreplay, masturbation, and orgasm.

“Have you ever tried touching yourself? Your vulva, I mean?”

“Yes, today.”

Hopper’s stomach jumped. “Today?”

“Yes. In the shower.”

“So…uh…what were you thinking about?”

“Rubbing my vulva on your penis,” Dawn said, matter-of-factly.

“Oh.” Hopper cleared is throat. “Okay. Well, that’s…uh, were you able to orgasm?”

“I do not know.”

“Then I suppose you probably didn’t.”

“How will I know?” Dawn asked.

“I think you just do. I’d suggest to keep touching yourself and see if you can figure it out.”

They sat quietly for a minute.

“So that’s the sex talk,” Hopper said, closing the book and pursing his lips. He made it. But he had given Dawn a lot of information, and he couldn’t tell by the look on her face how much she truly processed or how she was taking it. “Do you have any questions?”

She turned to look at him. “Last night, you want to have sex? With me?”

Hopper felt his cheeks flush as he ran his hand through his hair. “Uh, at the time. Yeah.”

“For baby or fun?”

“ _Fun!_ Definitely fun.”

“And now?”

“Yes and no. I want to slow this thing down a bit. Mainly, I want you to take the lead. Discover what you like. Let’s just take our time. We don't need to rush into anything.”

Dawn nodded.

Hopper was used to taking the lead in most situations, but this was different. A lot different. The last thing he wanted was to pressure Dawn or make her feel uncomfortable in any way. His curiosity also got the best of him, interested in how Dawn would find pleasure. “And what about you? What do you want?”

Dawn cracked a small smile, climbing into Hopper’s lap. She placed gentle kisses on his lips, forehead, cheeks, and chin while running her hands through his hair. “I just want to be close. And thank you. For telling me.”

Hopper groaned and kissed her harder. He didn’t know when it happened, exactly, but he realized he was crazy about this girl.

“Your shirt. Off,” Dawn instructed. Hopper had to laugh at this reoccurring theme.

She stroked his chest and belly, goosebumps springing forth beneath her fingertips as she dragged them along his sparse chest hair. They held each other’s gaze for a moment before their lips joined together once more.

Hopper’s hands slid down her waist and hips, stopping at her bare thighs. He fingered the material of her dress before sliding it up to her hips, fisting the fabric as Dawn moaned against his mouth. It traveled straight to his cock, beginning to hurt in his tight pants.

Dawn looked down and smiled. “You feel good.”

Hopper snorted.

“Can I see?”

“Weren’t we supposed to take this slow?”

“Can I touch?”

Silence followed as Hopper considered. “Sure.”

Dawn placed her hand on top of his throbbing erection ever so gently. She stroked through his pants, pressing down harder, and Hopper groaned, thrusting his hips up instinctively. “God, Dawn, that feels really good.”

She grinned. “I want to feel good, too.” She quickly grabbed Hopper’s hand and placed it between her legs, the last thing he expected.

 _Oh, god._ She was wet. Did he remember to tell her what that meant? He wasn’t sure. “You know,” he mumbled while kissing her ear and tracing circles around her pussy with his thumb. “You’re wet. That is your body’s way of saying you feel good.”

“Oh,” Dawn sighed.

Hopper continued to caress her through her underwear. Underwear he knew he bought for her at some point, but couldn’t remember, because he had grabbed several packages in different sizes off the stand and threw them in the cart without looking too closely. He willed himself to look down. _White with small red polka dots_.

Suddenly, Dawn’s voice broke through his increasingly foggy brain. “I think that is enough. For now.”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, of course.” Hopper helped her smooth her dress down. “I didn’t take it too far, did I?”

“No. Just we said take it slow.”

Hopper grinned at her. “Yep. We did. Well I’m going to bed, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead before standing up, wondering if she’d noticed the pet name he’d slipped. She likely did.


	11. Chapter 11

“Hopper!” Dawn called from her bedroom.

“What’s wrong?” Hopper called. He could tell from the tone of her voice that something wasn’t right.

“Please come in,” Dawn moaned.

Hopper cracked the door. Since Dawn had moved in, this was the first time he’d stepped foot in her room. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“What’s the matter?” he asked, tentatively walking over to where she had bunched herself up on one side of the bed.

“I feel bad.”

“How do you feel bad?”

“Body hurts. I am cold. Head hurts.”

Hopper grabbed the thermometer from the bathroom. After waiting a few minutes, he took it from her mouth and analyzed it. “101 on the dot. Sorry, sweetheart. You’re sick.”

“I hate to be sick.”

“No one likes it. Wonder how you got it, though. I must’ve brought it home or something. Sorry.”

Dawn reached out her hand to touch his arm. “Take care of me?”

“Of course. You hungry?”

“A little.”

“Why don’t I make you some chicken noodle soup? Then I’ll run a bath for you.”

“That sounds nice. Thank you, Hop.”

Hopper checked the bathwater to make sure it was a decent temperature. “Okay, it’s ready,” he called out.

Dawn shuffled into the bathroom.

“I’m gonna go,” Hopper said.

“No. Please stay.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He helped her undress but averted his eyes, not wanting this to be the first time seeing her. He held her hand as she stepped into the water and submerged most of her body, then he sat on the closed toilet.

“Hop, I cannot reach the shampoo.”

“Oh.” He stood up to get it for her, then contemplated for a second. “Lie back and wet your hair.”

She did, and he squeezed some shampoo onto her head and began lathering her hair slowly, massaging her scalp. She closed her eyes, sighing. After he was done, he grabbed the detachable shower head and rinsed her hair, careful not to get it in her eyes, all the while, trying not to look down.

Dawn noticed. “You do not have to look away.”

So he looked. He took all of her in. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “Even when sick.”

She smiled weakly.

He kissed her hot forehead. “Why don’t we get you into some comfortable clothes and back into bed?”


	12. Chapter 12

The air had started to cool a bit by early October. Dawn’s flu had lasted almost a week, and once she felt better, she didn’t hesitate to let Hopper know how much she appreciated his help.

Everything they had done until that point involved high school-type antics on the couch. Lots of making out, grinding, touching through underwear, and fondling Dawn topless.

On one such night, Dawn had herself straddled across Hopper’s waist, tongue thrusting past his lips hungrily while a novel sat, discarded, on the other couch cushion. She pulled back to meet Hopper’s eyes. “I want to have sex. I am ready.”

Hopper exhaled shakily. “Are you sure?”

Dawn nodded. “Are you?”

“Fuck, yes,” he said, grabbing her face and kissing her roughly. “Let’s do this properly, though. Come to my bed with me.”

“I thought it is private.”

“Yeah, it was, but it was more to protect your privacy and because having our own spaces is a good idea. It’s still a good idea, but trust me, the bed is much more comfortable.” He let out a little growl as he nipped at her mouth, taking her hand and leading her to his room.

He backed Dawn onto the bed, hovering over her as he peppered her with kisses. “Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he murmured into the crook of her neck. “I’m all yours.” He shuffled, sitting up. “You don’t even have to ask,” he chuckled, as he pulled his shirt over his head.

Before his shirt came all the way off, Dawn had her hands on him, fingers sliding down his triceps, through his underarm hair, and gliding down his sides as she rose to her knees to press her body against his. Hopper tugged her sweatpants down, revealing little white panties, and gripped her ass, grinding his erection against her. She attempted to get her shirt off, but it got caught in her hair, and as Hopper helped her out, they both landed sideways on the bed. Dawn brought her leg up to tuck through his as Hopper cupped her cheek, kissing her deeply, the other hand coming up to cup her breast.

Dawn’s head spun as her heart throbbed in her chest. She wanted this so badly, but the prospect also terrified her.

“You don’t really know where to go from here, do you?” Hopper asked.

Dawn shook her head no.

“Okay, lie back. I’ll take care of you. Most people’s first times are not that great. I want to make this as good as I can for you. Just please tell me no if you don’t like something.”

“I will.”

Hopper unclasped Dawn’s bra, sliding it off and discarding it. He slipped her underwear down her legs and off, then sat up to admire the view. “You are so beautiful. Like a painting,” he murmured before finding his way to Dawn’s collarbone, sucking at it as his hands roamed. He licked a trail down between her cleavage, finding the underside of one breast and paying special attention to it with his tongue. Dawn whimpered and squirmed under Hopper. Soon, he found her nipple, sucking at it, and she let out a hearty moan, then clapped her hands over her mouth.

Hopper chuckled. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart. I love it. I can’t keep my hands and mouth off your cute, little tits.” He got back to business, giving attention to the other breast, then kissing down Dawn’s flat stomach. “Roll onto your side.” He licked and sucked along the groove of her waist, just before her hip, burying his face in it. “I love this part,” he admitted. Dawn relished the feel of his beard on her soft skin, fingers tangling through his dark blond hair and soft moans escaping her parted lips.

Hopper rolled her onto her back and repeated the process, lingering on the crease where Dawn’s ass met her thigh. “Mhm, another favorite part,” he hummed before moving to the other side.

Hopper rolled Dawn to her back once more and positioned her close to the edge of the bed. He sat on the floor and propped her feet up on his shoulders. Dawn felt electric, on fire for Hopper, and she wanted, _needed_ more of his touch. Just as she though she might explode, Hopper pressed his lips to her inner thighs, then caressed them with his bearded cheek. “You smell so good.”

 A rush of wetness and that familiar tightening followed as Hopper inched closer and closer to where she desperately wanted him. His tongue grazed along the crease between her thigh and lips, teasing. His hot breath hovered over her until finally, _finally_ his mouth made contact. Dawn threw her head back, crying out and attempting to thrust herself into Hopper’s face. “Mmhm,” he moaned, grasping her folds with his lips and drawing them into his mouth. After several minutes of long, sure strokes with the flat of his tongue, Hopper pulled away and pressed his thumb to Dawn’s swollen clit, eliciting a sharp gasp. He slowly rolled his thumb around as Dawn cried out.

“Hop, I need you. Please.”

“Do you now?” he chuckled, and Dawn responded by sitting up and pulling Hopper to his feet, attempting to unbuckle his belt frantically.

“Wait, hun. I can keep going if you want,” Hopper said.

“No.” All Dawn wanted was to see Hopper. All of him. To feel what it would be like to have him _inside_ her. Just the thought made her crazy.

“Okay, okay. You sure are impatient.” He unbuckled his belt and pants, letting them fall to the floor to reveal his white briefs.

Dawn wanted to return the favor. She gripped his ass and pressed kisses to his bulge.

“Heh, it’s okay. We can save that for another time. I just really want to be inside you.”

Dawn whimpered and nodded enthusiastically. She grasped the elastic of Hopper’s underwear and pulled them down, his cock springing free. She gaped at it, eyes wide. She knew what they were supposed to look like from the diagrams, but this one somehow looked…bigger.

“You okay?” Hopper asked after a few seconds.

“Yes. It is bigger than I expected. Will it fit?”

Hopper let out a hearty laugh. “Sorry, don’t mean to laugh, but yeah, it should. I am a little bit bigger than average, but don’t forget, babies come out of there. Also, you’re plenty wet.” He winked. “But if it hurts, just tell me, and we’ll figure something out.”

Dawn felt herself blush a little, then got up on her knees to wrap her arms around Hopper in a bruising kiss. He reached around her waist and leaned her backward onto the bed, hovering over her. Breaking away from her mouth, he uttered, “Spread your legs.” Dawn did as she was told. He quickly reached in the drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a box.

“Condom,” Dawn said.

“Yes, it is.” Hopper opened the package and slipped it on, positioning himself over Dawn.

“You ready?”

“Ready.”

Hopper pushed inside of her with a groan. Dawn’s whole body jolted as she gasped. She’d never felt anything like this before, completely full as her walls perfectly hugged Hopper’s cock. It felt delicious and dizzying.

Hopper hadn’t moved at all. “You still okay?”

“Mhm.”

“You sure?”

“Please move.” Dawn grabbed Hopper’s hips and rocked her own into his.

“Message received.” He slid in and out to Dawn’s moans as she dug her fingernails into his back and buried her head in his chest, her teeth scraping along his nipples.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Hopper said. “You feel so good, sweetheart.”

“Yes, yes. You, too,” Dawn breathed. “So good.”

Hopper growled and tucked his head down, capturing her lips in his. Soon, both their breaths quickened until they could only utter moans and grunts.

“I’m gonna come. I don’t think I can hold on anymore.” Hopper panted.

“What?”

“I’m gonna— _oh_.” Hopper shuddered. He grunted unintelligible sounds before stilling, pulling out, and rolling onto his back. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Dawn asked.

“Not getting you off—er, bringing you to orgasm. I can go down on you again. I mean, kiss you between your legs.”

Dawn rested her head on Hopper’s chest. His heart pounded, slowing gradually, and it relaxed her. “It is okay.”

Hopper lifted his head. “You sure? I want to make you feel really good.”

“You did.”

“So it was still good for you?”

“Yes. I feel very close to you.”

Hopper wrapped his arm around Dawn and kissed the top of her head. “Good, I’m glad. If you wanna do it again sometime, I assure you that it can be even better.”

“Yes. I want to. Again sometime.”

Hopper grinned. “I’m going to clean up, then go to bed. You’re welcome to sleep in here. I mean, if you want to.”

Dawn smiled sleepily. “That sounds nice.”


	13. Chapter 13

The next few weeks became a blur of waiting impatiently for Hopper to return from work, completing daily lessons, and sex. Lots of it. Aside from a couple days during her period where she didn’t really feel like doing anything, Dawn jumped Hopper at every opportunity.

“You’re fucking wearing me out,” he joked one night as they lied in bed afterward, Dawn’s fingers entwined with his. She had spent every night in his room since their first time.

“I love it.”

“Oh, believe me, if I had any question about that, it’s gone, now.”

Dawn still hadn’t orgasmed, yet. At least, she didn’t think so. She could tell Hopper felt a little self-conscious about it, though she hoped she made it clear to him how much she enjoyed herself every time. They had tried several different positions and angles. Some Dawn liked better than others. She loved being on top and the ability to watch Hopper’s face and the way he looked at her. She enjoyed the seeming urgency of being on all fours. And when Hopper went down on her, the world pretty much stopped, especially when he stroked his fingers inside of her.

Dawn slipped her hand out of Hopper’s hand and down to cup his ass. “I love your ass,” she said, using one of the slang words he had taught her.

“I know. You’re insatiable.”

She moved her hand around to grab another body part.

“Hun, I’ve told you it doesn’t work that way.”

Dawn sighed.

“We’ve gotta figure out how to get you off. I think that would help.”

“Try going down on me again.”

“Dawn, I love to eat you out. You know I do. But I’ve got to get some sleep. It’s midnight, and I have to get to work early.”

“Fine.” She snuggled up next to Hopper as he wrapped his arm around her.

“Tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes.”

The next day, after Hopper left for work, Dawn got up, showered, and cleaned up a bit around the cabin. She threw a coat on and took Lucky, who had grown considerably in the last few months, outside to play fetch. She spent the rest of the afternoon reading and watching TV, curled up on the couch with Lucky, before she got up to make dinner. She was in the middle of setting the timer for the potato casserole when she heard the secret knock on the door.

With a flick of her hand, the door unlocked, and Hopper walked in carrying a bouquet of pink roses. He walked over, pulling her in his arms for an embrace. “I got these for you. Sorry about last night.”

“You did not do anything wrong,” Dawn answered.

“I know, but I realized we need to communicate better. And not late at night or when we’re in the thick of things. You wanna talk over dinner?”

“Sure,” Dawn said, looking for a vase for the flowers and coming up empty-handed.

“Oops. I don’t think we have one,” Hopper said sheepishly. “You have no idea what I had to go through to get those for you. I ran into my friend Joyce at the store, and she practically squealed asking if I had a date. Why else would I have flowers? So I had to say yes, but I refused to give a name. She said she’s missed me. Hasn’t seen me in forever. Which is true. Told her I got a dog. She invited me over for dinner next week, so I’m gonna have to go to that.”

“Okay.”

Later, as they sat down to dinner, Hopper opened up a bit. “I love having sex with you. Absolutely love it. But I’ve never had sex this much in my life. Not in my twenties. Not when I was married. It’s just that multiple times a day can be a bit much. For me. I don’t necessarily mind every day, but with a few breaks thrown in here and there.”

Dawn nodded, taking it in. She hadn’t realized the complicated emotions that could come with sex.

“And I know I shouldn’t, but I feel a little bad about not being able to make you come.”

“I know. But when you say that, I feel like a pressure. I am happy, so I want you to be happy with it, too,” Dawn said.

“I know. You’re right. I just care about you so much, and I want to satisfy you.”

“You do. Remember, this is new for me. I am learning.”

“Yep, you are. Hell, I feel like I am, too.”

Dawn reached out and took Hopper’s hand, squeezing it. “Want to watch a movie? No pressure for sex?”

“That sounds great.”

After dinner, the pair cuddled up together on the couch watching Caddyshack. Halfway through the movie, Hopper’s hand roamed up Dawn’s shirt, resting on her braless breast, tweaking her nipple with his thumb.

“I thought you said no sex?”

“I didn’t. It was no pressure for sex, and you're the one who said it, not me. Sometimes I like to be the pursuer, you know,” he said, winking. “Besides, I find you much more interesting than the movie.” He leaned in, softly kissing her mouth. “I’m crazy about you, you know that? You did this to me somehow. I really didn’t think I could be happy again.”

Dawn ran the back of her hand along his cheek and smiled. He turned his head and kissed it, then cupped her face, bringing her lips back to his.

As soon as she slid into his lap, they were gone, nipping at and caressing any bare flesh as they worked quickly to rid themselves of clothing. They were down to underwear and socks, grinding against each other as Hopper’s strong hands gripped Dawn’s thighs.

“We doing it out here?” Hopper mumbled.

“Yes.” She pulled her own underwear off and gestured for Hopper to prop his hips so she could do the same for him. Stroking him a few times, she bit and licked his neck before positioning and slipping his cock inside of her.

“Uh, Dawn? I’m not wearing a condom.”

“Oh.”

“I can go get—oh, wait. No. _No_. I used the last one last night. Was gonna pick up more with the flowers. _Fuck_.”

“I do not care,” Dawn whimpered, pressing kisses all over Hopper’s face as she rocked against him.

“Mmh, that feels incredible. We’re probably fine, right? Yeah, probably fine.”

Dawn continued to move, but instead of riding the length of Hopper’s cock, she pressed him in deep, rolling her hips as she rubbed her clit against his pubic bone.

Hopper’s gaze fixed on hers as he thrust toward her, groaning. “Dawn…”

“Hop—mhm, yes. Right there.”

“Dawn, I—ungh, oh that’s so good…Dawn, I love you.”

Dawn’s breath hitched, but she continued to move, then silent.

“Say that you love me, too,” Hopper implored, eyes searching hers.

Dawn touched her nose to his. “I love you so, so much.”

Hopper groaned, fisting her hair and pressing crushing kisses to her mouth. They got lost in each other, panting and gasping with every thrust.

Suddenly, Dawn’s body lit up, building toward something big. “Do not stop. Please,” she uttered.

Hopper kept his pace, murmuring encouraging words into Dawn’s ear.

The warmth grew until it charged every nerve, then burst forth in a cascade of vibrations, flowing all the way up to her scalp and down to her toes. Her whole body shook as she cried out, moving erratically against Hopper. “ _Ho-op! Oh, fuck!_ ” she gasped.

“Oh god, Dawn, did you just come? Fuck, I’m coming, too.” He pressed his forehead against hers, grunting and panting as he spilled into her. He flopped backward against the back of the couch, and Dawn collapsed on top of him. They stayed that way for a few minutes catching their breath.

“How was it?” Hopper finally asked.

“Mhmmhm,” Dawn hummed against his chest.

Hopper chuckled. “You probably want to go clean up.”

“Hm? Why?” Dawn looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Didn’t use a condom. It’s gonna make a mess.”

Dawn stood up, and sure enough… “Oh.”

Hopper just laughed. “I’ll get you something. Stay right there.”

Fifteen minutes later, Hopper scooted in closer to Dawn in bed, placing an arm over her side and slipping his fingers through hers. “That was nice. Really nice.”

“Yes. And now I know how to tell. Coming, I mean."

"It's incredible, isn't it?"

"Mhm. I just feel...I just..." Dawn hated it when she couldn't find the right words. "I just love you, Hop. I am so happy."

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”


	14. Chapter 14

“I have this crazy idea,” Hopper threw out one November day. “Things’ve been quiet around here. I have several vacation days saved up. Let’s take a trip to Chicago.”

Dawn’s eyes widened. “How?”

“Well, here’s what I’m thinking. Taking you out and about in Hawkins is extremely risky. Even going someplace like Indianapolis is a little bit risky—too close and I know people there. Chicago is just far enough away and just big enough that I don’t think we’d be taking too big of a gamble. I can take you on a proper date. Get a proper hotel. Take you shopping—”

Dawn pounced on Hopper, kissing every inch of his face.

“So I take it that’s a yes?” Hopper mumbled through her kisses.

“Yes. And bedroom. Now.”

December 2nd couldn’t come fast enough. Finally, the morning of, Hopper dropped Lucky off at Joyce’s, explaining that he was going to visit old friends in Indy. Dawn knew he hated lying to her, but she also knew he couldn’t get her mixed up in any of this.

That night, Dawn hid among blankets in the back of Hopper’s truck, and they hit the road. Once Hopper felt they were far enough away from Hawkins, Dawn climbed out of the back and sat herself in the passenger seat. She took in all the sights, even if it was dark, and even if it was only farmland and passing cars. Hopper turned on the radio, breaking out in cheesy singing, and Dawn watched him fondly as she entwined her fingers with his.

“Wake up. We’re almost there.”

Dawn blearily opened her eyes. The hum of the truck must have put her to sleep. All around her, buildings loomed, windows lit up, and flashy Christmas displays beckoned. Car horns honked and pedestrians crossed intersections. Dawn glued her face to the window, brown eyes like saucers.

Hopper laughed. “Having fun?”

“It is beautiful.”

They pulled up to the hotel parking garage. Dawn had never seen so many cars in her life. They grabbed their luggage, and she followed Hopper into the elevator, then into the hotel lobby. A Christmas tree filled with white lights and decorations stood in one corner. The ruby carpet created a feel of royalty.

“Wait here. By the tree.” She watched as Hopper walked up to the desk and talked to the man behind the counter. Soon, he came back. “We’re at the very top floor. Let’s go.”

Dawn gasped as she walked into the hotel room. A fluffy white comforter and pillows like marshmallows topped the biggest bed she’d ever seen. Ornately carved wood lined the headboard. Gold wallpaper splashed in delicate flowers covered the walls. She ran to the bathroom. The huge tub made her squeal. She ran back to Hopper, throwing her arms around him tightly. “This is amazing.”

“It’s not even the fanciest hotel in the city,” he smirked. “And that bed looks like it’s vomited pillows.”

“I do not care. It is amazing and I love it and I love you.”

“I’m glad you love it. Why don’t we crawl into this pillow explosion and get some sleep? I have fun plans for us in the morning.”

Dawn stripped down to nothing and met Hopper in bed.

“Really? You’re gonna do this to me,” he whined, snuggling up next to her. “How am I this lucky?”

Dawn turned to face him, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose. “Because I see things in you that you do not see. Now go to sleep.”

The next morning, Dawn woke up early, too excited to sleep. She showered, then dug through her bag, finding only sweats. Of course. She frowned. Wearing sweats at home didn’t bother her, but this seemed different.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Hopper mumbled, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck. He saw the twinge of disappointment in her eyes. “Don’t worry. One of my plans today is to have you pick out some new clothes. We’ll go to a department store. I’ll leave you alone to get what you want. Then we’ll do more shopping together around the mall and go out to dinner later. How does that sound?”

“Perfect.”

Later that morning, Dawn glanced around the department store. It seemed so big. How would she be able to decide what she needed?

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Hopper asked.

Dawn shook her head no.

“Okay, well, I have some cash for you. It’ll be good practice. You know, like we’ve done at home. When you run out, it’s out. I’ve given you enough, I think, to buy some clothing necessities as well as something nice for yourself. Meet me back here in an hour and a half. Ten-thirty. If you’re even a minute late, you know I’m going to—”

Dawn put her hand on his arm. “I know. I will be fine. I will not be late.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “Have fun.”

Dawn walked around the store tentatively while trying to appear confident. She found a section of the store with kitchen supplies. They had enough of those. Men’s clothes…no. Then she saw the undergarment area. She thought she could probably use some more underwear and bras, so she perused the racks, not exactly knowing where to start. She glanced up at the large ads with beautiful women plastered on them. Her underwear looked nothing like _that_. Suddenly, a woman approached her from the side, startling her.

“Hello, can I help you with anything?”

“Underwear.”

“Okay. Do you know your size?”

Dawn shook her head no.

“We have special assistants who can to fit you for your correct size. Would you like me to get one for you?”

Dawn nodded.

“Follow me.” The woman led Dawn to the dressing rooms where another woman sat. “This young lady would like help finding her size.”

“Absolutely,” the new woman said. “My name is Karen. Follow me.”

Once in the dressing room, Karen instructed Dawn to take her shirt off. “Hmm, yeah, that bra definitely isn’t fitting you as well as it could be. See how loose the straps are? Also, the band is too loose.” Dawn did have a problem with her straps falling down.

Karen took out a measuring tape, wrapping it around Dawn’s bust. “Okay, I think you’re a 32B or 34B. I’ll be right back with some bras to try on.”

Dawn waited until she heard a knock at the door, and she opened it. Karen had four bras for her. She ended up liking the two 32Bs and decided she would get them.

“Great! Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Dawn chewed on her bottom lip. “I, um—I, uh…I have a date tonight. How can I look pretty?”

Karen’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I can help you with that. Let me see what we have in your size. Be right back.”

When Karen returned, she carried several pieces of lingerie. “I’ll be out here if you need help.” Some of them, Dawn wasn’t sure what straps went where. Some pushed her up. Some squeezed her in. In the end, she found the perfect piece, grinning at herself in the mirror. _Hopper will love this_ , she thought.

Dawn picked out some panties, in addition to her other items, heading to the register to check out. “Oh, good choice! Have fun tonight.” Karen winked.

Dawn headed to the women’s clothing department. She stood around, waiting for a few minutes, until she decided to head to the dressing room to find an attendant.

“Can I get help to find my size?” Dawn asked.

The woman glanced up, furrowing her eyebrows in a look of confusion. “Uh, you look like you’d probably be an extra small, but we don’t do fittings here. That’s not really a normal practice in clothing departments.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Dawn felt her face turn pink as she turned around to look through the racks. She figured XS probably stood for extra small, but some clothes were labeled with numbers, so she tried eyeballing them. In the end, she took a giant heap of clothing to the dressing room to try on.

“Uh, you can only take in ten items at a time. Would you like me to hold some for you?”

So far, Dawn liked the underwear department better.

Dawn bought a couple pairs of jeans, three sweaters she thought were cute, a pleated skirt, a dress to wear to dinner, and some accessories, including little white boots she found adorable. She looked at her watch. _10:27. Uh oh_. Dawn practically sprinted across the store and back to the entrance where Hopper waited on a bench, sipping a Coke.

Hopper tapped his watch. “ _So close_ ,” he teased.

“I know. Sorry.”

“I would’ve had to send the police out for you.”

“Funny. How long have you been sitting here?” Dawn asked.

“Uh, well, I went to get a Coke…so, yeah, like an hour and fifteen minutes.”

Dawn laughed. “I was fine. See?”

“Yeah, and it looks like you bought the whole store.”

“I have some money left.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Dawn pulled out $2.64, a playful grin spread across her face.

“Well I hope you got some good stuff,” Hopper said.

“I did. Where are we going next?”

“I thought we’d hit the bookstore, then get some lunch in the food court. How does that sound?”

“Good.”

Hopper pulled out another twenty, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows. “I _guess_ you can pick something out at the bookstore, too. You’ll want something to read in that jet tub of yours.”

“Thank you, Hop.” Dawn smiled and kissed his cheek.

When they got to the bookstore, Hopper got lost in the sci-fi novel section, so Dawn wandered, ending up in the section entitled Sex and Relationships. She flipped through some of the books, lingering on one called _Blow Him Away_. Now, this was interesting. Glancing around to make sure Hopper wasn't watching, she went up to the register to pay for the book.

“Mmm, good choice,” the man ringing her up said.

“Have you read it?” Dawn asked.

“No, but I’d like to get together after you read it.”

“Get together?”

“You know, to put your newfound knowledge to good use,” he said, handing her the change.

 _Oh._ “You are gross and not nice. I love someone already, and he is the prettiest man in the world.”

She’d said something wrong. The man was laughing at her. Dawn’s face turned pink as she balled her hands into fists and stormed off, finding Hopper. “Hop, can we go?”

“Hold on a sec, I’m still looking.”

“No, please.”

Hopper turned to Dawn. “What’s wrong?”

“The man at the counter. He said something.”

“Said what?”

“Said he wants me to go down on him. I think. I am not sure.”

Before Dawn had even finished, Hopper stormed over to the cashier. “Who do you think you are talking to her like that?” he growled.

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

“Are you saying she’s lying?”

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sorry.”

Hopper got in close to the man. “Look, I can contact your manager and let them know what a sleazy asshole you are, or you can apologize.”

“Fine. Sorry.”

“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Hopper called as he headed for the exit.

“Okay, Pretty Man. I don’t really want her, anyway. What is she, Amish or something?”

“Oh, I’m gonna kill—” Hopper whipped around.

“ _No!_ ” Dawn grabbed his arm with both of hers, pulling him out of the store.

“I’m gonna call,” Hopper mumbled. “Someone needs to know about that prick.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For _what_?” Hopper spat.

“Maybe I said a wrong thing? I am not sure.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. Sometimes, people are just assholes.”

Dawn thought of Papa and nodded. “Assholes.”

“So…wanna go get lunch in the foodcourt?”

After Hopper and Dawn stuffed themselves with pizza, they continued to walk around, stepping in and out of stores. Dawn looked around, watching all the different types of people. She noticed most of the women had their hair done, either curly or wavy. She fingered her long, straight hair. “Hop?”

“Hm?”

“Can I get my hair cut?”

“Uh, sure. If you want. Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see if they have a place here.”

Dawn sat in the stylist’s chair, a little nervous. She hadn’t cut her hair in years, not since she convinced Papa to stop shaving her head. She never understood why he’d agreed to her request but still shaved the others.

“What would you like me to do today?” the woman asked.

Dawn shrugged her shoulders shyly.

“Well, how about I take some inches off and layer it up a bit? That way, you can style it more easily if you want and it’ll have a bit more body.”

Dawn didn’t entirely understand what the woman said, but she nodded. “That, too?” She pointed to a lady a few seats down, getting her makeup done.

“Sure, we can do that for you.”

“And teach me how?”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

Forty-five minutes later, Dawn slid out of her chair and walked over to Hopper hesitantly as he sat, reading a magazine. “Hey,” she said, and he looked up.

“Wow, you look—is that makeup?”

“Yes. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, you look very…grown up.” He pursed his lips and looked away, clearing his throat.

After paying, the pair headed for the street to hail a taxi. When they got back to the hotel, Dawn told Hopper she wanted to take a bath before they headed out for the evening. She took all her bags into the bathroom, going over everything she’d gotten. She’d never been allowed to pick out her own stuff before. After filling the tub and turning on the jets, Dawn stripped and got in with her new book.

She studied the book for thirty minutes until Hopper knocked at the door, causing her to jump. “Yes?”

“We have a reservation at the restaurant in an hour. Wanted to give you a heads up. Gotta leave in forty minutes, and I’m gonna have to use the bathroom, too.”

“Okay.”

Dawn got out of the bath, fluffing up her hair and looking at herself in the mirror, adding a little more color to her lips. She dug through her bags, pulling out the lingerie and removing the tags before pulling it on. Over that, she slipped her new dress, short and black with short, bunched chiffon sleeves. The neckline was adorned with jewels. She slid into her black, strappy heels, hoping by some miracle she wouldn’t fall on her ass, then walked out of the bathroom.

Hopper was busy flipping through the channels when he saw her. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open a bit. “Wow, you look incredible. I—uh…”

“Thank you.” Dawn sat down next to him on the bed.

“I mean, I’m only wearing a button up with jeans, so now I’m gonna look even more homely next to you.”

“Homely?”

“Kinda ugly.”

“You are not ugly!” Dawn insisted.

“I know, I’m pretty, right?” Hopper winked.

Dawn blushed.

“Is that why the guy at the bookstore called me pretty?”

“Yes. I think I said the wrong thing.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s cute.”

“I called you the prettiest man in the world.” She buried her face in her hands.

“Hey.” Hopper lifted Dawn’s chin. “It’s fucking adorable, okay? And I’m just kidding about the homely stuff. Sort of. But believe me, I am a very lucky man to be able to share dinner with you. Anyway, I’ve gotta go get cleaned up and dressed, and then we’ll go.”

__________

Hopper stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. Dawn had left her bags all over the floor, and when he turned around, he also noticed a book on the ledge of the tub. He picked it up. _Blow Him Away_. Hopper stifled a laugh. He figured she didn’t mean to leave it out, so he tucked it inside one of her bags, hoping she wouldn’t realize.

At dinner, Hopper couldn’t stop staring at Dawn. Of course, she had always been beautiful, but to see her dressed up, to see her assert her independence—it overwhelmed him.

The waitress interrupted his train of thought. “I just have to say how wonderful it is that you two are still making time for each other. I wish I had that kind of relationship with my father.”

Hopper felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

Dawn spoke up. “No, he is not—”

“—ridiculous. Any man who won’t spend time with his daughter is missing out.”

The waitress smiled and left.

“Why did you say that?” Dawn asked.

“Look, I don’t want you to be embarrassed to be dating me when you could be dating someone like that.” Hopper nodded toward an attractive man a little older than Dawn.

“I do not want him,” she hissed. “I want you. And if you think I am embarrassed to be with you…you do not know me that well.” She crossed her arms and looked away.

“Hey, Dawn, I’m sorry.”

“I am not embarrassed. I think you are,” Dawn said.

“No, I—”

“Then let me tell her.”

“It will embarrass _her_.”

“Maybe she will not say such silly things next time.”

Yep, independent. And stubborn, to boot. “Fine,” Hopper sighed.

When the waitress came to fill their waters again, Dawn spoke up. “Excuse me. Earlier you said he is my father. He is not. He is my…I love him. He loves me.”

“Okay?” the waitress said, furrowing her eyebrows.

“We are on a date.”

“Oh. _Oh!_ I am _so, so_ sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. Wow, I, um…that was so very rude of me. Can I offer you your appetizer on the house?”

“On the house?”

“For free,” Hopper mumbled, face in hand.

“That is great,” Dawn answered.

“I will get your check. Again, I am very sorry. I won’t make assumptions like that again.”

After she left, Dawn turned to Hopper. “See? Not bad.”

“Well I, for one, found it uncomfortable.”

Dawn stayed mostly silent until they returned to the hotel room. She sat down on the edge of the bed, turned away from Hopper.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down and putting his arm around her.

“You are ashamed of me. Is it because I am not normal?”

“Fuck, Dawn, you’re normal. You may not know all the right things to say, but there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Then what is it?”

Hopper sighed. “I—I sometimes worry what others will think. About us. About our age difference.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re so much younger than me, and a lot of people would find that odd. And I guess I’m just insecure. Sometimes I worry that you’d rather be with someone younger and more attractive than me. I’ve been divorced. I’ve fucked up. A lot. I don’t even know if I’m doing _this_ whole thing right.” He gestured between them with his hands. “Hell, to an outsider, it’d look pretty fucked up. If _I_ was an outsider, I would think it was fucked up. I think I’ve pushed others away, because I don’t want them to find out. Most importantly, because I need to protect you. But if I’m honest, there’s also a little embarrassment there. Like they’ll be thinking, ‘Look at that. Hopper fucked up again.’” He stared straight ahead, afraid to look at Dawn’s face.

“Do you love me, Hop?”

He turned to her, taking her hand. “Do I love you? I love you more than anything. I’m fucking crazy about you. But I’m afraid of losing you.”

“I do not want you to be embarrassed of me.”

“I know. And it’s not you. But I’m sorry.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Hey, we never did get dessert. Why don’t we walk down the street? I think I saw an ice cream shop. I mean, it’s cold out, but it’s never a bad time for ice cream.”

Dawn smiled weakly.

Once they got outside, a blast of cold air hit them, and Dawn wrapped her coat tightly around herself.

“Cold?” Hopper smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Of course I am. That is stupid.”

_Ouch._

When they got to the ice cream shop, Hopper realized it was closed. _Of course. It’s fucking December. What was I thinking?_ He looked around, trying to find somewhere else to go.

“Hop, I am so cold! Can we just go back?”

“Wait, I’ve got an idea.” Hopper hailed a cab and opened the door for Dawn, ushering her inside.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” He whispered to the driver, and they were on their way.

Before long, they pulled up to Christmas lights galore and a giant rotating wheel. “What is this?” Dawn asked.

“Navy Pier. I said I’d get you ice cream. They probably have ice cream here. And we can’t leave Chicago without visiting this spot.”

“Fine. It is beautiful, though.”

They walked around the colorful booths and through the throng of crowds before dipping inside to get out of the cold. “See? Ice cream!” Hopper said, pointing. They walked up to the booth. “What kind would you like?”

“Mint chocolate chip,” Dawn mumbled.

“Okay. One mint chocolate chip and one double fudge brownie, please.”

All the tables were taken, so they found a corner to sit and people watch.

“Fuck, that ice cream’s expensive,” Hopper commented before taking Dawn’s hand and threading his fingers through hers.

Dawn startled and looked up at him.

“What? I’m not embarrassed by you, and I shouldn’t care what others think.”

They sat, eating their ice cream, and when Dawn finished, she put her head on Hopper’s shoulder. “I do not like to be mad at you.”

“I don’t like it, either,” Hopper said, kissing Dawn’s head. “Hey, you wanna try ice skating before heading back?”

“What is ice skating?”

“Lemme show you.”

Dawn edged out onto the ice shakily. Hopper chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you from falling.” He had a steady arm around her shoulder, Dawn’s hand gripping his. “Just move your feet like this.”

They moved slowly around the rink as others zoomed past.

“Okay, now try this.” Hopper pulled away from Dawn, still clutching both of her hands, outstretched. “Try skating toward me.”

“Hop, watch out—” but it was too late. Hopper bumped into another person, losing his footing and toppling onto his ass, bringing Dawn with him. The man he’d run into skated off, giving him a dirty look while Hopper and Dawn burst into laughter. He cupped Dawn’s face, bringing her in for a kiss.

“You ready to get back? Because I am.”

Back at the hotel, Hopper nibbled at Dawn’s ear and whispered, “I’d like to make this whole thing up to you if you’re up for it.”

“Just wait right there,” Dawn said. “I have to use the bathroom.”

Hopper sat on the edge of the bed and waited. When the bathroom door opened, his blue eyes widened, mouth cracked open. He couldn’t find words until finally, he found the ability to mutter. “Oh my _god_.”

Dawn stood in front of him in a black lace, sheer bodysuit. The deep v-neck stopped at her stomach, showing off her cleavage. She twirled around, revealing the thong cut. She wore thigh high stockings and the same heels from dinner.

“You. Did this? Today?” Hopper could feel all the blood rushing from his head to another appendage. “Were you wearing it the whole time?”

Dawn nodded.

“ _Fuck_.” Hopper pulled her in close, pressing his erection into her. He kissed her deeply, moving down to her tits, sucking her nipples through the fabric.

Before long, Hopper had Dawn writhing on the bed stark naked, practically crying in the throes of ecstasy as he buried his face between her thighs, pumping his fingers, licking and sucking. Dawn shook and tensed, letting out one more heady cry before melting into the bed. She sat up, grabbing Hopper's face, and kissed him. He gently caressed the curve of one heaving breast and pressed his cheek to the other, closing his eyes.

“Your turn,” Dawn said.

“You sure? I kinda feel like I messed up today, so…”

“Yes. I wanted to all day.”

Hopper grinned, remembering the book he found. “Okay, but you’ve gotta put that sexy thing back on.”

Dawn stripped Hopper of all his clothes and got one of Hopper’s long-sleeved shirts, tying it around his eyes.

“Wait, what?” Hopper said, trying to sit up.

Dawn pushed him back down. “Just relax.”

Hopper chuckled. “Yeah, okay. I really wanted to see you, though.”

“Lie on your stomach.”

Hopper did as he was told, and Dawn straddled his legs, her soft hands kneading and caressing his shoulders. She ran her nails down his back, leaving kisses and nibbles, then found his ass, squeezing both cheeks and making Hopper yelp. She traced lines with her tongue, giving attention to the crease under each cheek, just like he had done with her. “Fuck, Dawn,” he groaned as she nipped with her teeth. She moved down, kissing behind his knees, then had him flip over. Dawn teased and played with every body part _except_ Hopper’s painfully hard cock, and the fact that he couldn’t see anything made it twitch anytime he felt her hot breath near it.

Dawn licked a path up the underside of his shaft, and he yelled when she brought the tip into her mouth. Gripping the base, she took in as much as she could, moving her hand and mouth up and down together.

It wasn’t the best blow job he’d ever received. She didn’t use enough spit or keep a steady enough pace, but it was far from the worst, and the buildup had been out of this world. He relaxed and enjoyed himself for awhile and _wait, is she grinding her clit on my leg?_ He needed to see her. To be inside her.

“Dawn, I have to see you.” He tore his blindfold off and watched her bob up and down on his cock for a second before pulling her on top of him, enveloping her with his arms and legs. Rolling on top of her, he backed off the bed and pulled her to the edge, lifting her with his strong arms as she squealed. He grabbed the condom sitting on the night table and carried her to the vanity outside the bathroom, sitting her on the edge. After slipping the condom on, he pulled the crotch of Dawn’s bodysuit aside and thrust into her with urgency.

“Goddamn, your pussy is incredible,” Hopper breathed, eliciting a moan from Dawn. “Fuck, you’re so wet, baby.” She lifted her arms above her, leaning back against the mirror. He lifted one hand from her hip and pulled the fabric away from one of her breasts, caressing the nipple with his thumb. Then he moved his hand down to her clit, stroking it. “Can you come again for me?”

Dawn nodded breathlessly.

“I got you so worked up you can’t talk? Show me what to do with my fingers.”

Dawn reached down and pressed Hopper’s hand right where she wanted it, harder, faster, until—“Uh oh oh yes!” She threw her head back against the mirror.

“Good girl.” Hopper gripped her hips and increased his pace until he came hard, shuddering and collapsing onto Dawn. “So good,” he panted, kissing her. “God, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Hop.”

“Tell me that was okay. Not too rough?” Hopper asked while the pair lied in bed.

“Not too rough.”

“Okay. Just making sure. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It was really good for me, too. Promise. And I trust you.”

“Mmm.” Hopper kissed the top of Dawn’s head. “You make me a very happy man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Stuff in Chicago made up. Except Navy Pier. I know that exists.
> 
> *Dawn's book did not exist in the 80s, but I used a title I found off of Amazon. This is not an endorsement of the book. I know zero about it. Uh, except that it's about giving blow jobs.


	15. Chapter 15

“Merry Christmas!” Hopper rolled over to kiss Dawn.

“Mm, Merry Christmas,” Dawn murmured.

“I can make you some breakfast, then I have some presents for you to open.”

“Hop, you should not. I could not get you anything.”

“That’s okay. It’s your first real Christmas. How much of an asshole would I be if I didn’t try to make up for all the Christmases you missed out on? Besides, I don’t need any presents. That is…unless…” He wagged his eyebrows.

As Dawn straddled Hopper, rocking her hips into his, he reached up to caress her breasts. “Fuck, I love your body. Your tits look incredible.”

“My bras and pants are getting too tight,” Dawn panted.

“Must be all the ice cream I’ve been bringing home,” Hopper joked. “I’ve put on a few, too. But don't worry. It suits you well. I love the curves.”

All of a sudden, it hit him. _Idiot_. He stopped thrusting.

“What is wrong?” Dawn asked.

“You’ve been having your period, right?”

“Yes.”

Hopper sighed in relief. “Okay, good.”

“It has not been like normal, but I am still having it.”

Hopper looked Dawn in the eyes. “What do you mean _not normal_?”

“They are very light. Not at my normal times.”

“And this has been happening since…”

He watched as Dawn did the math in her head. “Since around Halloween? No, maybe a little before.”

“ _Fuck_. Fuckfuckfuck.”

“What is the matter?”

“I’ve gotta go to the store. I’ll be—shit, it’s Christmas. Fuck. Nothing, sweetheart.”

How had he not picked up on this sooner? It had only been the one time. One. His high school sex ed class came whooshing back through his brain. _It only takes one time. One time. One time._ Fuck. Where had that voice been when Dawn had sunk herself onto his cock, sans condom?

“Are we done?” Dawn’s voice jolted Hopper back to reality.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I’ve gotta go shower.”

Hopper let the spray hit his face as he groaned. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was working himself up for no reason. After all, Diane had gotten really sick in the beginning. Dawn hadn’t been sick. _Yeah, probably nothing_. But what if? Shouldn’t he clue Dawn in on what might be happening with her body? At the same time, he didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. _Jesus, I’ve fucked up big this time_.

When he got out of the bathroom, Dawn was sitting by the Christmas tree quietly.

“Hey, ready to open presents?”

“I know something is wrong,” Dawn said without looking at him. “You have never stopped in the middle before.”

“I know. I just—I don’t want to worry you.”

“I am already worried, Hop.”

“You’re right. Like you always are.” Hopper took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes. You remember the night you got off for the first time?”

“Of course.”

“You remember how I didn’t wear a condom?”

“Kind of.”

“Well, I wasn’t and—I think you might be pregnant.”

Dawn narrowed her gaze. “Pregnant like baby?”

“Yeah. Like baby.”

“I—I—How do we know for sure?”

“You need to take a pregnancy test.”

“So go get one!”

“Ah, see, most stores close for Christmas.”

“Hopper!”

“Okay! Maybe there’s a gas station open somewhere. Do gas stations even sell those things?”

“Just go find one!”

“Okay, okay. I’m going.” He kissed her head, but she didn’t react.

It had snowed seven inches the night before, and of course, because it was Christmas, not much had been plowed. Hopper drove around for nearly three hours before finding an open gas station with a pregnancy test, and by the time he got back home, four hours after he’d left, it was after lunch.

When he walked into the cabin, Lucky came to greet him, but he didn’t see Dawn anywhere. He checked his bedroom. Nothing. When he checked her room, he found her taking a nap. It was the first time she’d slept in there since he invited her into his room the first time they had sex.

“Hey.” Hopper roused her gently.

“What took so long?” she mumbled.

“Roads barely plowed. Had to search multiple stores. Almost drove clear to Indianapolis.”

Hopper handed Dawn the bag, and she took out the square blue box. “How do we do this thing?”

Dawn sat on the closed toilet seat while Hopper sat on the floor, gripping her hand. “Careful not to knock into that thing, or the results might get messed up. You know, this thing’s pretty nifty. When we thought Diane was pregnant, we had to go to the doctor to find out.” Hopper examined the instructions. “This says it takes one hour. I don’t think I can handle waiting here for an hour, sweetheart. Let’s go open presents.”

“Sure,” Dawn answered.

Hopper tried to smile as Dawn unwrapped her gifts: gardening supplies for when spring rolled back around, bubble bath, some books and movies. Dawn didn’t say much, either. After the presents had been opened, the two sat in silence for what seemed an eternity until the kitchen timer went off.

“There’s the timer,” Hopper said.

“Yep.”

“Should we go check?”

Dawn nodded.

Hopper grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly as the pair made their way to the bathroom. “Do you wanna look first, or do you want to look together?”

“Look together,” Dawn whispered.

Everything in Hopper told him to run away. If he didn’t look, it didn’t have to be real. His heart pounded, hand shaking in Dawn’s as he tried to remain calm. “Okay, ready? One. Two. Three.”

As Hopper viewed the results, he tried to steady himself, but the room spun and he had to sit on the floor. He buried his head in his hands. “Fuck. Shit. Dawn, I’m so, so sorry.”

Dawn said nothing, sliding down to the floor across from Hopper.

“This is my fault. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have put you in this predicament, and—oh, fuck, how are we going to hide a baby? What—I—shit, this changes everything.”

“Hop—”

And then he began weeping. “I can’t do this again. My baby girl—oh, god, what if it’s a girl? I failed her—”

Dawn moved over next to Hopper, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head on his shoulder. Tears ran down her face as she cried with him. “Hop, I love you.”

He stopped, looking her in the eyes. “Oh, sweetheart, I love you, too.” He kissed her desperately, breathlessly, almost choking. “I love you so fucking much, it hurts. This hurts.”

“I know.”

“I can’t replace my baby girl.”

“Nothing will replace Sara.”

Fresh tears began to flow. “I know, but I wasn’t prepared for this.” Hopper looked at Dawn, placing his hand on her belly. “You’re carrying my baby. _Our_ baby.” His nose ran, and he grabbed some toilet paper to wipe it. “I just didn’t think I would ever be a dad again.”

Dawn pressed her forehead to Hopper’s.

“Oh, god. How are _you_ feeling?” Hopper asked. “I am such an ass.”

“Overwhelmed. I have no idea what to expect.”

“I’ll get some books,” Hopper half-laughed, half-cried. “Oh, wow. I’m a mess. You seem so calm.”

“My insides feel like they are jumping all over the place.”

“Yep. I feel that, too,” Hopper said.

“Merry Christmas.”

Hopper fell into a fit of laughter, falling backward onto the floor and knocking over the container of pee. This made Dawn laugh, and soon, they were both on the floor, gasping for air. Hopper ran his hand through Dawn’s hair and kissed her. “This will be fine, right? You, me, baby?”

“And Lucky.” Dawn smiled. “Yes. Family.”


	16. Chapter 16

Hopper smacked Dawn’s ass as she walked by. She turned, giving him a dirty look.

“Happy Seven Months!”

“You do not have to spank me. I feel like a whale.”

“And I can’t get enough of you,” Hopper growled, wrapping his arms around her from behind and gently biting her shoulder.

Dawn relaxed into Hopper’s arms.

“What would you say to…you know.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and gave her the cheesiest grin. “No chance of getting pregnant.”

“You make that joke every time. It got old four months ago.”

“But it’s truuuuue.”

She turned, kissing him. “How can I resist that face?”

“You can’t.”

Dawn threw her head back, moving her hips to Hopper’s upward thrusts, relishing the feel of him inside her. He gripped her ass while she used her fingers to stimulate herself. Pulling her hand away briefly, she slid a finger into Hopper’s mouth, and he growled, sucking at it and digging his fingers into her ass cheeks.

“Fuck, Dawn, I’m gonna come.”

Five seconds later, she could feel Hopper pulsing inside of her.

His head fell to the pillow with a grunt. “Sorry.”

“You can take care of me later,” Dawn said.

“That finger thing—what was that? That was hot.”

“I just thought since you love the taste of my pussy so much—”

“Careful, or you’re gonna get it again, right now,” he teased.

“You wish it worked that way.”

Over the last fourteen months, Dawn had gotten pretty good at bantering with Hopper, something she didn’t understand for quite some time.

After Hopper got over the initial shock of the pregnancy, he became increasingly excited, especially once Dawn started to show. He usually wanted to be close to her, to touch her, and sometimes it got on her nerves. For the most part, she found it endearing.

Dawn lay on her side while Hopper spooned her from behind. Not much else was comfortable at this point in the game. He rubbed her belly tenderly, pressing kisses to her shoulder.

“Do you ever get sick of doing that?” Dawn teased.

“No way. There’s something so, uh, I don’t know—remarkable about pregnancy. It’s like an ego thing, I think. Like, wow, _I_ did that. That’s _my_ Little Monkey in there.”

Hopper had named the baby Little Monkey, in part, because they didn’t know the sex, but also because the topic of sex remained a touchy one for Hopper. Dawn knew she’d have to bring it up sometime, but for then, she left it alone.

“Also, that ass. And those tits. And the curve of your back and—hell, all the curves. So delicious.”

Dawn rolled over to face Hopper, belly between them. “You know why you are so special?”

“Uh, why?”

“Because you are so good to me. And we have a—” She gestured her hand back and forth between them.

“Connection?”

“Yes, but more. Understanding. Respect.”

“A mutual give and take.”

“Yes. I mean, I do not know what we will do later. I do not think I can stay in the cabin forever, and Little Monkey cannot. We do not know the details yet, but we will figure it out together. And I trust that. I trust you. Because I know you love me. And I love you. Even in our mistakes.”

Hopper smiled, one that reached his eyes.

“Oh, Little Monkey is acting like a monkey now.”

Hopper placed his hand on Dawn’s belly. “Oop, I felt that one. That was a big one.” He moved his face close. “Little Monkey, now don’t beat Mama up too much. She’s giving you food and a place to rent free of charge, you know.”

“Oh, I just remembered. Lisa is supposed to come today.”

Lisa was Dawn’s midwife. Hopper knew she needed prenatal care, but a hospital would be too risky. Technically, home births were legal in Indiana, but only by Certified Nurse Midwives under the head of physicians. Still, other highly-trained midwives practiced under the radar. Hopper and Dawn knew someone like that would be perfect. As a bonus, Lisa lived ninety minutes away and had no connection to Hawkins.

“Everything sounds great,” Lisa said later that afternoon. “Looks like baby’s about four pounds, which means it’s measuring ahead, but that’s only based on averages. Seeing that Jim’s a big guy, you’re probably looking at a bigger baby.”

“How big?”

“Hard to say. Jim, how big were you?”

“Uh, over nine pounds, I know that.”

“So probably something around there,” Lisa said, smiling.

“Thanks. We’re so grateful that you come to us. Grateful for everything,” Hopper said.

“I have a two hour radius and patients all over Indiana, so it’s no sweat off my back. I’m glad to do it. You’ve both been great. Can’t wait for the little one to arrive.”

……….

_“002, where are you? Help!”_

_Dawn crept through stagnant water in the Void, coming to the place where 011 sat, facing away from her, crying. “011? 011, are you okay?” She reached her hand out to touch 011’s shoulder, causing the young girl to gasp and whirl around. Behind her, the body of 003 lay still._

_“Noooo!” Dawn screamed. “What did he do?!”_

_“Hurt,” 011 answered._

_Dawn clutched the hair at her temples and fell to her knees as everything swirled around her, dissolving._

Dawn’s eyes flew open, a cold sweat covering her body. Hopper sat up next to her in bed, hand on her arm, a look of concern in his eyes. She sat up and touched her upper lip, pulling her fingers away from her face to reveal blood.

“What just happened?” Hopper asked. “You were screaming and—was it one of those nightmares?”

“No,” Dawn answered. “011 spoke to me.”

“Spoke to you? What do you mean?”

“I told you how I can travel in my mind to other places? So can 011.”

“So she contacted you? What did she say?”

“She is still there. At The Lab. With 003.” Her eyes squeezed shut as she shook.

Hopper took both Dawn’s hands, urging her to look at him. “What is going on?”

“003 is hurt. I did not even know he was still there. I did not see him for a long time. They took 011 away from me, too. She is still there. Something terrible happened. I think she wants me to help her.”

“Ohhh, no! It’s way too dangerous. We’ve lived under the radar for awhile now. We don't need to put ourselves back on the radar. And most importantly, you’re pregnant.”

“But I have to. They are my family.” Dawn’s eyes began to well up as she ran through scenarios in her head of what might have happened. “I cannot leave them there, Hop. You did not leave me.”

Dawn thought back to when she first encountered Hopper.

“No!” she screamed. “No cat!”

“That’s fine,” Papa said calmly. “I’ll just have the others take you to the dark room.”

“No! Please!” 002 choked.

Just then, one of the lab technicians rushed up to Papa, whispering something in his ear.

“Hide 002. Quickly,” Papa told him.

The man grabbed 002’s arm, shoving her into an empty room. “Stay there. If you make _any_ noise, it's my ass on the line, and I'll make sure suffer worse than you have yet. Understand?”

002 nodded, eyes wide.

She heard murmuring outside the room. An unfamiliar voice. She knew if she got caught, there would be hell to pay, but her curiosity got the best of her. She peeked through the crack of the open door, and there, a tall man stood. He wore some type of tan uniform and a big hat. His hair was dark blond, and he had a beard with a little tuft of gray in the middle, just like Papa’s hair. His eyes reminded her of the clear sky, on the rare occasion she got to look out a window to see it.

The man sweet-talked Papa. “Oh, you know, protocol. I’m sure there’s nothing going on here, but I have people on my ass, and I’ve gotta show them that everything’s cool. Ten minutes, tops.”

Papa sighed. “Fine. I can assure you that everything is above board.”

Papa turned to lead the man down the hallway, and that’s when they made eye contact. The man’s mouth hung open a bit before he snapped it shut. “Hold on fellas. I gotta take some notes to bring back with me to the station.” He scribbled on a notepad, then tore the paper off, crumpling it and putting it in his pocket before jotting a new note. “Stupid pen acting up,” he mumbled. As he rounded the corner to follow Papa and the other man, he slipped the balled up paper from his pocket and onto the floor.

Once the coast was clear, 002 crept out of the room, snatching up the piece of paper before rushing back in. She un-balled it, smoothing it out. _I am here to help. I will be back in two days at dawn. Be ready._ She clutched the note to her chest. Was it too good to be true? How could she know to trust this man? Somehow, though, she knew everything would be okay from then on.

“What’re you thinking about?” Hopper asked, snapping Dawn back to the present.

“When you found me.”

Hopper smiled. “Yeah, that day. That was a good day. You proved my suspicions correct.”

“Just think, though. There are others. Others you could help. Like you helped me.”

Hopper sighed. “I _know_ , but it’s so much more complicated now. Hear me out. When I found you, I was a single guy, no attachments. I had a hunch they were doing something fucked up in that place, but I had to investigate for myself, since no one else would. When I saw you, I knew. And I had to get you out. I had no idea there were others. You didn’t know if anyone else was still there, either. But now…Now, I’m not a bachelor, anymore. I’ve got a life. I’ve got you. And Little Monkey. If it were just the two of us, yeah, the risk might be worth it. But I don’t know if I can stomach the thought of something happening with our baby on the way.”

“I will go kill Papa with my mind.”

“No. It’s still too dangerous, and we don’t know what the use of your abilities does to Little Monkey.”

“Yes, but—”

“No, Dawn. That’s that.”

__________

For the next two days, Dawn gave Hopper the silent treatment. When he came home from work, she had already eaten. When it was time for lessons, she studied by herself in the corner chair. At bedtime, she slept in her own bed.

It drove Hopper crazy.

As he tossed and turned on the second night, he heard rustling outside the door. At first, he thought it was Lucky, but then he heard the front door open and close.

_Oh shit._

Hopper sprung out of bed and ran out of the house in his briefs. He spotted Dawn just ahead of him, heading north.

“Dawn!” Hopper hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”

She whirled around. “I am going to get 011 and 003.”

“Fuck, Dawn! You’re going to get yourself killed! Get back inside!”

“No!”

“What’re you planning on doing? Walking?”

“Yes.”

“It’s seven miles!”

“I have to save them.”

Hopper wrapped her in his arms, in part to comfort her, but mostly so she couldn’t walk away. “Let’s go talk. We gotta talk.”

“We already did. You said that’s that.”

“I did, and we have to talk again. Please.”

Dawn sighed. “Fine.”

As they sat across from each other in the cabin, an uncomfortable silence filled the air.

“Look,” Hopper finally spoke. “I’ve been thinking a lot the past couple days. About all of this. And I agree with you. We do have to get 011 and 003 out. But it’s going to take some time. We can’t just go at this with no plan.”

“What is your plan then?” Dawn glowered.

“See, here’s the thing. You’re not going to like the plan I’ve come up with. _I_ don’t like the plan. It’s drastic. But it’s gotta be done if we’re gonna get them out of there and stay safe ourselves.” He paused. “ _I’m_ going to go in. Not you. I can’t risk it. If something happened to you and Little Monkey…” He trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. “ _I_ will get them. You will stay with Joyce.”

“Joyce?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to tell someone. Joyce is my closest friend at the moment, although I’ve been a pretty shitty one lately. I know we can trust her. Whether we get her to go along is another thing. In any case, you stay with her and wait for me. I will come back for you. When I do, I’ll have 011 and 003 with me. We will have to leave town. They’ll for sure be on my trail, since I don’t know if I can leave without killing that son of a bitch, Brenner. We’ll have to escape across country. Hide out for awhile until I can find another job.”

Dawn took this all in.

“Lastly, if I don’t escape, you aren’t, under any circumstances, to come find me. Or 011 and 003. Once it’s done, it’s done. You don’t try again. I need you to _promise_ me that.”

Dawn stared off to the side.

“ _Promise_.”

“I promise,” she mumbled.

“Good. What are your thoughts?”

“I guess it is what has to be done. When?”

“In a week and a half. I put in my two weeks’ notice two days ago. Told my job I’m moving.”

“Really?” Dawn asked. “You knew right away that you would—”

“Yeah. I can’t let you down like that. I just—you wouldn’t talk to me, and I hadn’t figured out all the details yet.” He moved to sit next to her, pulling her in and kissing her head. “I’m sorry. For this whole fight, you know.”

“I am sorry, too,” Dawn said, resting against Hopper’s chest.

“Come sleep with me, yeah? I’ve missed you.”


	17. Chapter 17

Hopper packed up everything he could into his truck and attached a little trailer he bought from someone in town. The police department told him he could keep the truck as long as he painted it, so he painted over it in gray. He instructed his colleagues to keep his departure hush hush, explaining that he didn’t want the drama.

Over the years, he had amassed quite the savings by not spending much. The most he’d spent in a really long time was when he’d taken Dawn to Chicago.

He arranged to meet with Joyce, telling her he needed to discuss something very important. She’d agreed to meet him at his trailer.

Hopper paced the trailer, Dawn sitting in his recliner behind him, Lucky’s head in her lap. “What if this is a mistake?” he muttered. “What if it doesn’t work? What if Joyce doesn’t want to help? What if I’m putting her in danger?”

Dawn stood, placing a hand on Hopper’s back, stilling his movement. “It will be okay.”

Just then, they heard a knock at the door. Hopper opened it, ushering Joyce in.  
“Hop, why is there a truck and trailer—” She stopped mid-sentence. “Who is that?”

“Hey, Joyce. Uh, so this is Dawn. She’s my…uh, she’s my girlfriend.”

Joyce gave Hopper a look of surprise, but one that also hinted that she wasn’t really surprised at all. “Hi, sweetie. It’s nice to meet you,” Joyce said.

“She’s in big trouble. And we could really use your help,” Hopper said, explaining the whole story to Joyce. “So what I’d need you to do is keep Dawn at your place while I’m in The Lab. Once I get out with 003 and 011, I’ll swing by and grab Dawn and Lucky, getting out before they even know you were involved.”

“Hop, can I talk to you outside? Alone?” Joyce asked.

“Uh…” He looked at Dawn.

“It is okay,” Dawn said, putting her hand on Hopper’s arm.

“Yeah, uh, sure.” he said, scratching the back of his head.

Once Joyce had closed the door, she turned to Hopper. “Are you crazy?” she hissed. “What is wrong with you?”

“What’re you talking about?” Hopper asked, knowing what the answer would be.

“How old is she? She’s a child!”

“She’s not a child. She’s twenty-three.”

“Oh, big difference,” Joyce said, rolling her eyes. “What’s more, she’s not even your typical twenty-three-year-old.”

“I like her a lot better than your typical twenty-three-year-old. She’s very smart. And kind. And pretty damn wonderful,” Hopper argued. “You don’t know her like I do.”

“No, I definitely don’t. How long before you fucked her? A day? Hm, maybe you were really good and gave it a week? And _then_ you knocked her up! What the hell, Hop?”

“I didn't plan any of it, trust me. And it was almost eight months. Uh, you know, before we slept together. You know me, Joyce. I know I’ve slept around a lot, but you know I’d never take advantage of someone like that.”

“Well,” she huffed. “This whole thing seems a little preposterous.”

“I know it does, but trust me. It’s real. No one else believed me, either, which is why I had to do it on my own, and why I had to protect her on my own. And it’s the fucking government, so they could do whatever the hell they want to me. Did I tell you we almost got caught? Because we went on a walk one day, and there were spies. It’s crazy. But it’s real.”

“Well, since it’s the government, how is that going to stop them from finding you once you leave? Huh? Once you get another job, they can track you down, Jim Hopper.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve already arranged to purchase a cheap cabin somewhere rural, and we can afford to live off my savings. For a little while, anyway. But maybe I forge documents or something? Change my name? I don’t know. I just know that we have to get away.”

“What will you do with your trailer? Your cabin?”

“I can’t do anything with them. Can’t sell them, or they’ll find me. Can’t write them over to you to sell them, or they’ll know you’re involved. So nothing.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

 _Ah, so_ that’s _what this is really about_ , Hopper thought. “Look, I know I’ve been a shitty friend for the past year or so. I wasn’t trying to be, but it was shitty, nonetheless, and I’m sorry. I care about you a lot, and I appreciate all we’ve been through. But the answer is, I don’t know.”

Joyce’s eyes welled up. “Do you love her? Is she worth it?”

“Joyce, I’m fucking crazy about her. I love her so much. She’s become my best friend, and I would not be where I am without her.”

“And you would feel the same way if you hadn’t gotten her pregnant?”

“Absolutely,” Hopper said without skipping a beat.

Joyce sighed. “Okay. I’ll help.”

Hopper wrapped her in a giant bear hug and held her for almost a minute.

“You know I’m going to miss your big, stupid face,” she said, wiping away a tear that had begun traveling down her cheek. “Hawkins won’t be the same without you in it.”

“I’ll miss you, too, Joyce.”

__________

Dawn fidgeted on Joyce’s couch.

“You want anything?” Joyce asked. “Tea? Water?”

“No. I am fine.”

“So how far along are you?”

“Thirty-two weeks,” Dawn answered.

“So that puts you…”

“Between seven and eight months.”

“Almost there. You nervous?” Joyce asked.

“A little.”

“Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”

“No. I hope boy.”

“Oh yeah? How come? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I have two boys myself, and although they can be trying at times, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“I want a boy for Hopper. Because of Sara.”

“Oh, well that makes sense, I suppose. I’m sure that’s a touchy subject for him.”

“Yes. It has been. He will not talk about it much.”

“Well, I’ve known Hop a long time, and if it’s any consolation, I know he’s going to love the heck out of that baby, no matter the sex.”

Dawn smiled. “What is it like? Having a baby?”

“Oh, gosh. It’s been so long. I’m sure things are different now. It hurts, I’ll tell you that. You’re gonna have a homebirth, I’m assuming?”

“Yes.”

“So no pain meds, yeesh. Well, you’re young. I’m sure you’ll do just fine. And once you’re holding your baby, you’ll forget all about the labor. Have you decided if you’ll breastfeed or formula feed?”

“I am going to try to breastfeed.”

“My boys were formula babies.”

“Is that better?”

“Oh, no, either one is fine. It’s just what most people did then. Trends and all.”

“Trends?”

“What’s popular at the time.”

Dawn liked Joyce and wished she had met her earlier. It felt nice talking to another woman. She shifted in her seat, trying to get the baby off her bladder. “Where is your bathroom?”

“Right over there.” Joyce pointed. “It’s a pain, isn’t it?”  
“What?”

“Having to use the bathroom every three seconds.”

Dawn laughed, agreeing.

As Dawn exited the bathroom, the front door flew open.

“Hopper! You are okay!” She tried to run to him, but it was more of a waddle.

“Yeah. We gotta go. _Now_.”

Dawn turned to Joyce. “Thank—”

“ _Now_!” He grabbed Lucky’s leash and Dawn’s arm, forcing her out the door.

When she got to the truck, she walked to the passenger side door before seeing 011, crumpled in the backseat. She gasped, throwing open the back door and climbing in and Hopper threw the truck into gear and sped off.

“What happened? Is 011 okay? Where is 003? Is that _blood_ on your hands?”

“Can we not just right now? Let me get out of here first. And yeah, 011’s gonna be okay.”

Dawn turned to the fourteen-year-old. She wore only a hospital gown, her shaved head revealing telltale injuries that Dawn knew all too well. Her arms and legs appeared about the same. She pulled her up and into her arms. “You are safe, now. Hopper rescued me awhile ago. He is a good man. He will take care of us.”

011 didn’t say anything, her grief-stricken eyes looking up at Dawn. “003,” she whispered.

“What happened?”

“Dead.”

Dawn choked, then started gagging. “Hop, I need—I am going to—”

“Can’t stop.”

Dawn managed to roll her window down and vomit the contents of her dinner. She sat back down, groaning, gripping 011 so tightly, she thought she may never let go. Eventually, sleep overtook them both.

Later, Dawn’s eyelids parted as she tried to sit up. Hopper glanced back at her.

“Hey, you’re awake.”

“Yes,” she groaned. “How long was I—”

“About three hours. I don’t feel as on-edge now. I hope Joyce is okay.”

Dawn glanced next to her at 011, still passed out. “Can you now tell me what happened?”

“Uh, yeah. So I snuck my way in, which I’ve done before, but this time was a little more difficult, because I wasn’t sure where to go. Long story short, I found 011, but not before the Bad Men detected me and the fucking alarm went off. So I’m hoisting 011 over my shoulder, asking her where to find 003, and all she can say is dead dead dead. I can’t get any more out of her. I run with her down the hallway but get cornered by the Bad Men. I whip out my gun. They don’t have them, so it’s not a problem. They part like the Red Sea to let me through, and I run outside toward the entrance. But then I hear a voice behind me. It’s Brenner. He tries to talk me down. I set 011 down and pretend that I’m going to listen to whatever shit he’s telling me, but I lunge at him. It was risky, what I did. I could’ve just shot him. But I wanted to see him suffer. I beat the shit out of him. Then I saw the Bad Men running toward me from the building, and they fucking had guns this time. So I got up, and then I did shoot Brenner, then someone shot me in the arm. I managed to pick 011 back up, throw her in the truck, and go. I think there’s a couple bullet holes in the trailer, though.”

Dawn leaned over the front seat. “Pull over.”

“Why? Are you okay?”

“Just pull over.”

Hopper did, and Dawn got out, jerking Hopper’s door open. “Let me see your hands.”

He held them out to her. Not only were they covered in Brenner’s blood, but they appeared swollen and cut-up.

“Let me see your arm.”

Hopper turned his shoulder toward her, and she then saw that blood had soaked through his sleeve.

“Hopper! We need to take care of that!”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you are not! You were shot!”

“Yeah, but—”

“ _No_! You find a gas station now.”

He grumbled about it, but he listened. They went into the bathroom together and Dawn rinsed his hands under the faucet. She pulled his shirt off, revealing the shallow wound.

“I think I can take care of that,” Dawn said.

“What do you mean?”

She focused all her attention and energy on the bullet inside as blood dripped down her nose.

“No! Dawn, no! What if it hurts the baby?”

But she didn’t listen, and with more yelling from Hopper, the bullet came to the surface and fell to the floor. “Now give me money so I can buy things.”

Hopper moaned, handing her his wallet and grabbing his arm. When Dawn returned, she had a new shirt, gauze, tape, bandaids, and disinfectant. She carefully cleansed his wounds, then wrapped his arm up in gauze and placed bandages on his hands. Lastly, she helped him get the new shirt over his head.

“See? Better.”

Hopper smirked, shaking his head. “What would I do without you?”

They drove on for many more hours. 011 finally woke, but still didn’t say much. Dawn gave her some of her sweats to make her more comfortable. They only stopped to get gas, snacks to eat in the car, and once, for Hopper to sleep.

Finally, after two long days of driving, they made it. Boxtow, Maine. Hopper pulled up to the modest cabin, one that looked a lot like the cabin they’d left behind.

Dawn got out and stretched her legs, 011 following closely behind. Hopper fumbled with the keys before he finally got the front door open. When they stepped inside, Dawn had a look around.

“I know there’s no furniture. I’ll have to pick some up tomorrow. For now, we either get some blankets and sleep on the floor, or there’s the truck again,” Hopper said.

Dawn turned to him. “It is beautiful.” She kissed him. “It is home.”


	18. Chapter 18

Two months passed since they’d arrived at the new cabin. Independence Day quickly approached, and Dawn’s due date had come and gone.

“I just want this baby out of me!” she whined, waddling over to Hopper as he worked fixing dinner.

“I know, sweetheart. Not much longer now.”

He had tried to find a new midwife in the area but came up empty-handed. This would mean an unassisted homebirth, and if he were honest, it scared the shit out of him. He was trained in emergency delivery, but that was nothing compared to someone who did this day in-day out. To prepare, he spent his days studying natural birthing books, hoping to god there wouldn’t be an emergency that would send them to the hospital, thirty minutes away.

El, as they now called 011, had been adjusting as well as could be expected. Hopper taught lessons to both her and Dawn, and Dawn instructed her in simpler lessons and how to take care of things around the house. El still didn’t speak much, but she was progressing. At first, she acted very nervous around Lucky, but by that point, she had warmed up quite a bit, having the dog sleep in her room most nights.

Dawn had gotten out of her that 003s death was an accident. An experiment gone wrong. El had been horribly upset and refused to do anything else they told her to do, so the Bad Men punished her badly. She still retained some faded marks, slowly healing.

That night, Dawn woke, moaning. “I cannot sleep. I hurt too much.”

Hopper curled in close to Dawn, rubbing her belly and pressing kisses to the back of her neck. “What hurts, sweetheart?”

“Everything!” she snapped. “Sorry. These braxton hicks are waking me up. They have been bothering me all day.”

“Why don’t you try taking a shower? See if they slow down?” Hopper suggested.

“Fine. Might as well.” She waddled out to the hallway and into the bathroom. Hopper heard the shower turn on.

A few minutes passed, and Hopper had just about fallen back asleep, when he heard a cry from the bathroom. He sprung out of bed and to the tub where Dawn squatted, gripping the side. She slowly loosened her grip and looked up at Hopper.

“What was that?” he asked.

“The braxton hicks are not getting better. They are getting worse. And they feel like they are in my back.”

“Uh oh.”

“Why uh oh?”

“This could be baby time.”

“I changed my mind. I am not ready,” Dawn said.

“Well ready or not, here Little Monkey comes.”

“I do not like your jokes.”

“Sorry.”

Hopper helped Dawn back into bed. Each time she had a contraction, he kneaded her lower back and used his watch to time them. “Five minutes apart, babe. Why don’t you try to get some rest? That’s what the book says to do.”

“I am not a book!” Dawn shouted.

“That’s true…I’m just afraid you’re going to exhaust yourself before active labor starts. We’re doing this on our own…You need to be at your best.”

Dawn threw her head back onto the pillow, huffing. “Fine. But I need something for my back.”

Hopper got up and returned with the electric heating pad, plugging it in. He pressed it to her lower back.

“Mm, thank you,” Dawn said. “I am sorry I am so…”

“Snippy,” Hopper answered.

“Yes. Snippy.”

“Just try not to worry about it and go to sleep.”

Soon, Dawn’s breathing evened out, the tiniest little snore coming from her mouth. Hopper snuggled in close, hoping it wouldn’t wake her up. These would be some of the last moments with Little Monkey on the inside, and he wanted to take it in. He placed his hand very gently on Dawn’s belly, feeling the baby move, although not as much as it had in the past couple months. He could feel her belly tighten every five minutes or so, then let up after thirty seconds. He knew he needed to get some sleep, too, but the anticipation made it difficult.

He must’ve dozed off, because two hours later, he woke up to Dawn’s groans.

“I cannot sleep anymore.”

Hopper timed her contractions. “Still five minutes.”

“But they are worse! I cannot sleep. I promise.”

She got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Hopper checked his watch. Three a.m. Soon, he heard whimpering from the bathroom. He walked over, knocking gently on the door. “You okay in there?”

“No,” Dawn lamented. “My stomach hurts.”

“Ah, gotcha. I’ll leave you alone. If you need me, just yell my name.”

Thirty minutes later, Dawn entered the bedroom sheepishly.

Hopper saw the look on her face. “It’s okay, Dawn. It’s normal. Whatever I see today, remember I’ve seen it before. I’m not phased.”

“Phased?”

“Surprised.”

Dawn nodded.

“You wanna walk around the cabin a bit? See if we can get these contractions to pick up?”

“Okay.”

The pair made slow laps around the cabin. Every time Dawn had a contraction, she stopped to lean against Hopper, closing her eyes, uttering nonsense into Hopper’s chest. They continued around the cabin for some time before Dawn told him she felt too shaky and wanted to return to their bed. But before they could make it there, a trickle of clear liquid ran down Dawn’s leg, increasing until a puddle formed around her feet.

“Oh, my water just broke!” Dawn leaned into Hopper hard as he gripped her shoulders, another contraction coursing its way through her.

She cried out more loudly this time, and El’s door cracked open. The girl stood, peeking at the scene unfolding before her.

“It’s okay, El,” Hopper said. “Dawn’s gonna have her baby. It’s early. Why don’t you go back to sleep, and I’ll wake you if something big happens?”

El nodded, then closed her door.

Hopper got Dawn back into bed just as she had another contraction. He looked at his watch. “Three minutes apart now, and lasting longer.”

Dawn smiled weakly.

“I’m gonna go clean up out there, and I’ll be right back.” In the middle of wiping up the floor, Hopper heard Dawn cry his name. He rushed back into the room, embracing her once more.

“It hurts. I do not want to be alone.”

“I know, sweetheart. You can do this. I have to go get that cleaned up or it’s going to mess up the floor. Just breathe. Like we practiced, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her head and left to finish cleaning. He could hear Dawn’s cries once more, but she didn’t yell for him this time.

By nine a.m., El had gotten up, fixing breakfast for Hopper and offering to Dawn, who declined. She took Lucky out for a walk and returned, popping her head in Dawn and Hopper’s room. “Can I help?”

“Nothing right now, but thank you. I’ll let you know,” Hopper answered.

Dawn’s contractions remained about the same, but instead of crying out during most of them, she withdrew into herself, becoming very quiet and focused.

“You’re doing so good. So, so good, sweetheart,” Hopper murmured into her ear between them. He figured out that it was best not to talk during her contractions, to just let her ride them out on her own.

At this point, all Dawn wanted was to lean into Hopper and sway as he put pressure on her lower back.

During these hours, his mind drifted to the sex of the baby. He almost wished they’d been able to find out so that he could prepare himself. He told himself it was a girl to get his mind used to the idea, and he really did get the girl vibe. Dawn, however, had thought it was a boy the whole time. He wasn’t going to lie to himself. Having another little girl would challenge his emotions like nothing else, but he also knew that, whatever the outcome, it would be okay.

“Make it stop!” Dawn shouted during one particularly intense contraction an hour later. “I want it to stop! I change my mind! No baby!”

“This is normal. Everything is normal,” Hopper encouraged.

“No! Contractions are not stopping. I need a break! Help me, Hop!”

“Let’s try switching positions. You can try standing against me for a bit.”

“No moving! It will hurt too much!”

“I know, but we’ve gotta try.”

As soon as Dawn began to move to the edge of the bed, another contraction began. “I am going to vomit!” she cried. Hopper grabbed the bucket he had prepared, but she only dry heaved.

“Sweetheart, I know this is the most difficult part, but you can do it. You are strong. I love you, and I love our baby. Not much longer now.”

He managed to get Dawn to stand and lean against him. She did so for about fifteen minutes until she said she felt too dizzy and wanted to get on the floor. He helped her kneel down against the bed and gave her a sip of water.

“Something is happening,” Dawn said.  
“Oh? What’s happening?”

“I am not sure. I—” She went into another contraction. When it was finished, she looked up at Hopper. “It feels like my body is pushing.”

“You’re doing so great, Dawn! Just go with what your body tells you to do.”

Dawn nodded. After several contractions on the floor, pushing along with them, she asked Hopper to help her onto the bed. Getting on hands and knees, she continued. Contraction and push, then break. Repeat.

Finally, at eleven thirty-three, Hopper caught Little Monkey.

He looked down to announce his baby girl, but paused.

“What is it?” Dawn asked, trying to twist her head around.

“It’s a boy. You were right.” At that moment, he began crying, snuggling his new baby to his chest. “He’s beautiful, Dawn. You did amazing.” He helped her flip back over and lie down on the bed, handing the baby to her before cutting the cord and pulling a blanket over the both of them.

Thirty minutes later, after the placenta had been delivered and Hopper cleaned the area up the best he could, he invited El in.

El walked to the bedside tentatively.

“It is a boy,” Dawn breathed.

“Pretty,” El answered.

Hopper chuckled. “You can hold him later if you want, but right now, we’re just gonna let him rest with Dawn.”

“Name?”

Dawn looked up at Hopper, beaming.

“It’s a pretty big name for such a little guy,” Hopper said. “His name is James Joyce Tertius Hopper. James, because it’s been passed down in my family. Joyce for our friend Joyce, who we owe so much to. James Joyce because literature.”

“And Tertius, because it means three,” Dawn added.

El smiled. “Perfect.”

Hopper got El settled out in the other room before returning to Dawn. She attempted to nurse James, but he was not having it, breaking out into little lamb cries.

“It’s okay. It takes time,” Hopper said.

“Did Diane breastfeed?”

“No, but I read a lot about it. I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Thanks.”

“You know, you’re beautiful,” Hopper said.

Dawn smiled.

“I’m amazed by you. You did awesome today. You brought a little life into the world. And I know it’s gonna be hard, trying to figure everything out. Being parents, caring for El, finding a job, staying mostly off the grid. But I—I just want you to know that I’m so, so glad to be figuring it out with you. I love you, Dawn.” He leaned in close and kissed her head.

“I love you, too, Jim Hopper.”


	19. Chapter 19

“I can’t believe we’re going to have a one-year-old tomorrow,” Hopper expressed.

“I know! He is getting so big so fast!” Dawn picked up her son as he toddled by, and he shrieked, trying to get away.

“Stubborn like his Mama,” Hopper teased.

Life with a baby had been more difficult than either of them anticipated. For starters, James barely slept, especially in the beginning. Breastfeeding had been a challenge, but Dawn stuck it out and continued to nurse him still. He was not the happiest baby, but thank god for El. She really took to James and helped out at any opportunity. Of course, only Dawn could nurse him, but once he began eating solids, El took over a lot of that. She gave him baths, took him on walks, and played with him. It gave Dawn the breaks she needed to catch naps.

On the night before James’ birthday, El told Dawn and Hopper that she would put James to bed and that they should go for a walk. They rarely got time to themselves, and when they did, they generally used it to squeeze in a quickie. So they jumped at the opportunity El offered.

“Thank you so much!” Dawn hugged El.

“Yeah, we really appreciate it,” Hopper said.

“I am happy for all that you have done for me, so it is no problem,” El said. “And James and I are best buddies.”

“Yes, you are,” Hopper chuckled.

Once the couple was out the door, Hopper turned to Dawn. “So, where should we walk? What do you wanna do?”

“Let’s walk to the lake,” Dawn said.

“Sounds great.”

The lake stood about a fourth of a mile west on their property. The pair made their way there, walking out to the dock and sitting at the edge. Dawn took her shoes off, dangling her feet in the water and flicking droplets with her toes.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dawn turned to Hopper. “Are you still happy?”

Hopper threaded his fingers through Dawn’s. “Of course, I am. It’s been tough, I’m not gonna lie. But we’re figuring it out, and I’m making some money now with the odd jobs. El’s getting really good at canning the food from the garden, so that’ll supplement us well this winter. She’s learning a lot. James is healthy. So, yes. I’m happy.”

“What about us?” Dawn asked.

“Us?”

“Yes. We do not kiss so much, anymore. You do not look at me the way you used to.”

“I think that’s pretty normal after having a baby, and, uh, pretty much adopting a teenager,” Hopper answered. “We’ve been exhausted, you know? And relationships do change over time as you get settled into them. But I am still crazy about you. C’mere.” He wrapped his arm around her.

Dawn buried her face in his chest, groaning. “Remember the time we went to the lake? And I said I wanted to go swimming? You said no, we could not take our clothes off.”

Hopper chuckled. “Yeah, I remember that. My heart about leapt out of my chest when you said that.”

“Let’s go swimming.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” Dawn stood, pulling her shirt over her head and wiggling out of her pants.

Hopper felt his pants tighten a bit as he watched this beautiful woman undress right in front of him.

She jumped right into the water and popped back up to the surface, shrieking. “It is so cold!”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Dawn propped herself up on the dock, and Hopper couldn’t help but notice how her white bra clung to her breasts, her nipples hardened from the shock of the water.

“Mm,” he hummed. “I’m coming in.” He pulled his shirt off and unbuckled his pants, discarding them before jumping in with Dawn.

“Fuck, it _is_ cold!”

“Told you.”

They swam to each other, their lips meeting, tongues entwining. Hopper grabbed Dawn’s ass as she squealed, deepening their kiss. They treaded over to shallower water and stood, fingers threaded as Hopper cupped a breast with the other hand. He met her lips once again, this time more slowly. Deliberately.

He groaned as she grabbed his ass with her free hand and pressed herself against his bulge. “I want you to fuck me slowly, Jim. Make me scream your name. Make me beg to come.”

If Hopper hadn’t been fully erect already, this would’ve sealed the deal. He growled, fingering Dawn’s clit through her underwear, nibbling her neck, then stopped, looking up. “Wait, where?” he asked. The idea of fucking in a lake was appealing, but Hopper knew the logistics of it were quite different.

“Follow me,” Dawn beckoned with her finger, then swam back over to the dock. She pulled herself out and got a blanket from her bag.

“Ah, so you planned ahead?”

“Hop, I have been thinking about this all day. _I_ asked El to watch James. I have needed this. I have been so wet today, thinking about us together.”

Hopper inched toward her, bodies practically touching. “Should I check this out? Make sure you’re telling me the truth?”

“Please,” Dawn begged.

He slipped his hand down her panties, spreading her lips apart, and slid a finger slowly up the center, gliding over her clit as he pulled his hand back out. “Yep. You’re fucking dripping.”

Dawn’s knees buckled as she whimpered. Hopper hoisted her up as she threw her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, kissing him. He led her over to a grassy area, spreading the blanket out. He laid Dawn on the blanket, taking the sight of her in, before sliding her underwear down her legs. He positioned his face between her thighs, breathing her in as he kissed just out of reach of where she wanted him. Dawn whined. “Damn it, Hop, _please_.”

“Nope, not yet.” He continued to kiss and lick her inner thighs lightly grazing over her outer lips. He let his beard tickle her skin to the point of goosebumps. Dawn bucked, trying to make contact with his face. Instead of conceding, he moved his mouth even farther away, lifting her legs up and tracing the crease below her ass. He licked a path up her pussy, but instead of staying there, he kept going, up her stomach and to her breasts.

“ _Hop_!”

“Not yet.” He fondled both breasts, trailing his tongue underneath and in between. He took turns sucking at each while lightly pinching the other.

“Hop, be careful, or you are going to get a mouthful,” Dawn warned.

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I am letting down, so…” Dawn’s breasts began dripping a small amount of breastmilk.

“Actually, that’s kind of hot,” Hopper said. “Kinky.”

“Ugh, Hop, _just_ —”

“Hey, you said you wanted it sloooooow,” he said, cocking a cheesy grin.

“You are killing me.”

“Fine.” He slid back down to Dawn’s pussy, glazing over it lightly with the tip of his tongue.”

“Hop, you know that is not enough,” Dawn cried.

He continued his teasing for another minute or so before he couldn’t take it any longer. He wanted to taste her. _Really_ taste her. He plunged his tongue into her folds, licking up the evidence of her arousal. At the same time, he thrust two fingers inside of her, slipping them in and out as he curved them upward toward her g-spot.

Dawn let out a cry so guttural, he thought he might have hurt her at first. He looked up, and she shoved his head back down. He continued at this pace for several minutes until Dawn’s legs began to shake.

“Do not stop. I am almost there,” she panted.

Hopper had a thought, and it would either end up going very well, or he might get murdered. He decided to go for it, anyway. He removed his fingers and started kissing back up her stomach.

“Oh my god, Hop! What the hell are you doing?” Dawn cried.

“Making you beg for it,” he mumbled, mouth on one tit.

“ _Please_!” she practically screamed.

He moved back down, continuing his services, until he sensed her getting close again and pulled away, kissing her inner thighs.

By this point, Dawn was really shaking. “Hop, please, _please_ finish me. I need to come. Please let me come!”

He resumed and didn’t back down this time. Her thighs gripped his head tightly as if her body was afraid it would be stopped again.

“Oh, Hop,” Dawn whimpered, saying his name over and over, increasing in volume and desperation. “ _Jim_!” Her movement became erratic as she ground herself into Hopper’s face, still squeezing with her thighs, to the point he thought he might suffocate. Dawn’s whole body shook, then relaxed into a puddle, and when Hopper looked up, he saw tears streaming down her face, her full breasts heaving up and down.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Dawn breathed. “Best orgasm _ever_.”

Hopper beamed with pride and moved up to kiss her before resuming his position between her legs.

“What, Hop—” But before Dawn could say anything else, Hopper had her arching her back and screaming once more.

When he emerged this time, he pressed his body on top of Dawn’s, relishing the feel of her sweaty skin, flushed with afterglow. He kissed her, then sat up. “I need to be inside you right now,” he said hoarsely.

Dawn responded by propping herself up on her elbows and spreading her legs, gazing at Hopper with lust-filled eyes.

“ _Fuck_.” He bit his lower lip.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Dawn said sensuously.

“Just watching you, spreading your legs for me. It’s an incredible view.”

“Just get your damn underwear off already.”

When Dawn saw his cock, she inhaled sharply. “Have I told you how much I love your cock?”

“Oh, about a million times,” he laughed. “Not enough recently, though.”

“We need to change that. Definitely need to change that. Enough talk. Get over here.”

Hopper growled, straddling Dawn and pushing into her with one deep thrust as she cried out. He moved with urgency, grunting and groaning as he progressed closer to the edge. He began grinding against Dawn’s clit, eliciting a sharp gasp. “I want you to come again, baby.”

“We never— _oh_ —it has not happened— _mmh_.”

“Who knows when we’ll get this much time to ourselves again,” Hopper panted. “Please, baby. I wanna see your face scrunch up and your mouth cock open and hear your moans. Moan for me, baby.”

Dawn did. She let loose, moaning with every thrust, clutching tightly to Hopper, throwing her head back. “Oh, I am gonna—I am getting close. I love you so much, Hopper.” She let herself go, writhing, supported by Hopper’s arms, bucking against him, shaking.

“Oh, I love you, too, sweetheart,” Hopper groaned as the waves coursed through him, tingling the top of his head and curling his toes. He quieted, pulling out and flopping down next to Dawn with a grunt. “Fuck, that was good,” he sighed.

Dawn said nothing, watching him, eyes filled with adoration.

He smiled. “What’re you thinking about?”

“You. How much I love you. How much I appreciate you. And how amazing it is we even met at all.”

“Or got together at all,” Hopper agreed. He stroked her bare arm lightly. “Let’s promise each other, right now, that we won’t let it get to this point. If we need more intimacy, we ask. If we need more sex, we ask. If we need to spend more time talking, we ask.”

“Yes,” Dawn agreed.

“We always need to make time for us. No matter what.”

Dawn leaned in and kissed Hopper so tenderly that he could’ve cried. “You ready to head back? I do not want to worry El.” She looked around. “What will we say about our wet clothes?”

Hopper shrugged. “That we went swimming? We haven’t had the sex talk with her yet. Should probably get on that, though.”

Dawn laughed, a sound so beautiful. As the two got up to retrieve their clothing, he gripped her hand tightly, and when she glanced up, he could’ve sworn she looked at him the same way she did when they made love for the first time. He hoped he conveyed it, as well, because he felt it.

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. It's been fun.
> 
> Did not intend for it to be nearly this long, but it just kept coming. (No pun intended. Ha.)
> 
> Not my most well-written piece, as I barely went back to edit and just wanted to get the story out. If you want to read any of my stories I put more effort into, check out I'll Go On and Perfect Places.


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